About Bionics & Histrionics II

Cholesterol Dilemma

2012-01-26T15:29:00.003+08:00

A patient recently came to me before the CNY complaining that her cholesterol levels remains, high, if not even higher before she was prescribed a statin to aid in her cholesterol lowering plans. Her last visit to us was approximately 4 months back when her total cholesterol was at 6.7 with the breakdown of HDL at 0.9 and LDL at a staggering 4.5. The subsequent visit saw her cholesterol levels soaring to a greater height at 7.8 with her HDL level trough to an all time low of 0.6 and her LDL kept going up to 5.3. That mustn't have sounded good but she was adamant to reinforce the fact that she had kept her word when she claimed that she followed exactly what the doctor ordered her to do 4 months back during her last visit to the clinic.

She said she had gone through a massive change eluding red meat and opted more of vegetables and fruits. In fact, she has taken so much greens that she claimed that she has become green herself. Much of a joke in a far busy clinic, I wasn't taken aback. I had for the past few years checked my own cholesterol levels countless times with experimental foods and I know significant methods to increase one's HDL, LDL and as well as lowering them. I stood by my learning curve rather than the recommended text and I know when I am about to give her a piece of an earful, she may not sound happy. So I warned her first that what is to come ain't pretty. I gauge a bit on what she ate and then calmly asked her one spot on question which left her face hung down in shame.

"May I know mam, how do you cook and prepare your vegetables?"

That was enough to send her a shockwave stronger than a tsunami. Well, of course she fried her food, each and every meal in every single day. I then listed down the foods out of my brain without a stoppage. It's so rapid that a bullet train could have swerved past her brain a few hundred times before she gets knocked back to consciousness on what conversation we just had. She is a pleasant middle aged Chinese lady and to utter such foods against her will especially when CNY is around the corner ain't pretty. But I am happy that she took it well. Not many can, some would still go back on their cheat foods, and then realize that it's worth a shot to eat all they can and then double their doses of statins or start dieting a few weeks before their blood taking. That usually won't work. Cholesterol is a cumulative blood level and what you did previously takes into account. Once you lower your HDL level to a par low level (and it is difficult to push them up no matter how hard you exercise or how great your diet is within a few weeks or months), you are bound to deserve a higher LDL or a TG even.

So I am going to share with you the lists of food that I memorize down and utter every single time when a patient asks me what can I eat to reduce my cholesterol. I rather, mention to them, what you cannot eat and not what you can eat. Statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) only helps you to reduce 30% of your cholesterol levels and it's function is stopping the internal (natural) mechanism of cholesterol synthesis and not the external consumption that you take from your food. That is why you take these medications at night when there is no food consumption. That is the time when your body takes a break from all those eating and starts making essential cholesterol to build your muscles, cells and tissues.

I often break down the food to these, and so I tell the aunty in question,

Aunty, from now on, if you want to see a perfect cholesterol level and save you some long term illness, you should stop eating:-

Kaya, kuih, curry, butter, margarine, santan, egg yolks, cream, cakes, cookies and crackers, puddings, ice cream, sauce, junk foods, sausages, chips, nuggets, fast foods outlets, instant foods, beef, lamb, pork, shellfish, clams, crabs, squids, prawns, lobsters, animal fat, skin and bone marrow.

Go for low salt, low sugar and low fat diet.

Opt for high fiber foods - these are things like grains, oats, barley, lentils, beans, peas and wheat. There are so many sorts of beans out there that you can choose from provided that you don't have gout, and if you do, then opt for others. All sorts of vegetables are good. All fruits are good, but don't go for durians, cikus, rambutans and mangosteens which are high in sugar content. Take green apple and oranges or even dragonfruits, bananas once in a while as well as kiwis which possesses high amount of vitamin C. Watermelon cuts it too and so does grapefruits.

And when you cook, forgo fried, deep fried and anything that has to do with oil, but in fact go for steam, boiled, grilled and roasted. Go home (like what my cardiologist would say) and throw away all the buckets of oil stored up in your house. Save money and buy more expensive deep sea fishes (mackerel, trout, herring, tuna, salmon and pomfret) greens, fruits, high fiber diets and use only water to boil your food. Eat them like this if you want a good diet and a diet which will enrich your body.

Eat at home more than you eat outside.

Take antioxidants! Drink green tea, pu-erh tea, red wine once or twice a day, grapefruits, red and yellow peppers, broccoli, bitter dark chocolate (1-2 squares a day) and many more others which you can read off the net.

Snack in between if you must, opt for good nuts in a handful per day. Almonds and cashew nuts are ranked number one and two respectively in their good fats and good nature in increasing HDL. Make oat bars and keep in your fridge and eat them when needed. Blend celery juice (low caloric content) and eat them if you must.

Don't trust in any pills that have more side effects than keeping you slim all the time. There is no short cut in trimming your waist and lowering your cholesterol levels. My seven tips of lowering cholesterol and pushing up your HDLs are incorporated all above.

1) Lose weight, slimmer and slender body habitus

2) Exercise - do cardio exercises, the ones that push up your heart rate to between 75%-80% of your suggested heart rate and maintain for 30 minutes a day, do daily

3) Nuts (as above)

4) Dark bitter chocolate

5) Red wine

6) Chinese tea, green tea

7) Orange - keep them cut and not blended

Often, this consultation would take up to an hour if I really want to go lengthy, but I reserve such conversation with patients who are resistant towards the best cholesterol medications and are yet to improve on their diet. Patients who suffer from heart failure complicated by coronary artery disease who are still taking red meat and consuming large amount of fried foods. These negates the benefit that any medication could do for you. Sometimes, it is wise to start young, start early and maintain the pace up till you reach middle age and further. This would make it into a habit, and by training your palate to taste bland, but good and healthy nutritious food, you can actually do better and stay fit and ahead than others.

Remember, there is no reason that you should give when it comes to caring for your own physical body. God has given unto you a beautiful body with remarkable wonders. Take good care of it and be a blessing to others. God bless!

Jogging in Penang - Bukit Dumbar

2012-01-26T14:00:00.002+08:00

Another place that I finally decided to have a go on. Bukit Dumbar boasts of its hilly nature and poses a strict resistance towards those who are keen joggers. Truly in itself, you can't apply HIIT training here nor rapid jogging or marathon, you'd spoil your knees in the long run and in due course. The hilly tracks coupled with the uneven patches along the jogging trek (meant to blend into the contour of the hill) takes a huge toll on your stamina if you decide to push for a run. There is however a bald linear track on top of the hill. That's the one you see on the left of the picture. As it was the first trial on the tracks since the last time I have actually been to this place was decades back, I took things the usual way. The slow jog which slowly increases to a medium pace stride.

I calculated one circle to be around the range of 280-300 meters. Did 14.5 rounds on that and that would translate into around 4-4.3 km. Decided to walk there from my house and the to and fro distance adds a further 1.2 km on top of the jogging distance. There are quite several exercise equipments placed strategically around the lower ground of the hills. The ones that I saw that were there includes the chin up bars and the push up bars. Did a few chin ups just for the fun of it but couldn't go more than 8 in a set after having burned so much calories under the hot sun.

Quite a good place if you ask me. It is well shaded from trees but it is recommended that you park a distance from the park in itself before walking there. Penangites would tell you why. =)

Cookies Temptation - Not

2012-01-26T13:47:00.002+08:00

Am I normal to say that these CNY cookies don't tempt me at all? And in fact, I am only into things like oats, grains, barleys, peas, beans and lentils? Oh gosh. I guess I have more or less developed a tongue or a palate that only yearns for saltless and sweetless things. =( Don't think that would sound that great but well, at least I can keep the health =)

The Viral Factor

2012-01-25T23:00:00.005+08:00

This film left me thrilled in all aspect. Firstly, it has got a brilliant cast line up with a top notch performance in all angles coupled with a tight screenplay that never ceases to discourage. Their actors portray the profound nature of the true resembling character with the slightest distortion and I am referring to both Nicholas Tse (Man Yeung) and Jay Chou (Jon Man). You could feel the intensity and action in them and the opposite is very much true of Andy On (Sean Wong) who portrays the cold-hearted bastard that only has eyes on foul money. The script was not only good, but it severely punishes the action-thirst fan who yearns nothing more but ongoing thrills, kungfu scenes, car chasing, jumping off high buildings and gun fights. This movie promises everything, nearly all the components that make up a great action-terror film.

The masterworks and the delicate craftsmanship of Dante Lam is written all over the film from the chair-gripping starting scene towards the end of it all. Even for an intense action film, one can easily rest assured with its interesting sideplots that are as equally entertaining as its significant other. I shan't reveal much, but what you have already know from the synopsis. This movie is not a low-cut budget flicks that you may have anticipated, in fact, it comes close, if not even better than most of the recent Hollywood films.

So go watch it this CNY. I can guarantee that you shan't regret it!

Movie Rating:- 8/10

MVA Terminology

2012-01-25T14:02:00.002+08:00

There has been a lot of difficult description upon describing the mechanism of motor vehicular accidents since the beginning of time up till the point that of certain few, they are bound to be made into a bunch of hilarity. I recently came across a statement where it ran like this:-

"MB vs. hit pig"

Of course, in terms of locality such as us, we could easily interpret the message into the translation that the victim riding a motorbike (termed shortly as MB) has hit a pig before succumbing to a fall and sustained injuries thereafter. But for a certain group of individuals, this would mean a lot of tough cracking, as if it is a code in order to be able to understand upon clarification of those terms. The funny thing would of course be the fact that certain translation like one of my colleagues came to misinterpret that the motorbike in question must have went head to head with a hit pig.

Wait a tick...

What is a hit pig?

Is it explained in terms of the man who is riding his motorbike suddenly pulled to a stop after he saw a pig and then alighted his vehicle before proceeding to hit the pig in question and in retaliation got into a melee scuffle resulting in him ending up in the hospital?

Is it some sort of like a skilled porcine with exceptional marksmanship that is trained to kill like that of a hit man? Funny as it may seem, you haven't yet replace the porcine terminology with cows or goats. Then, we would have a bunch of high ranking mercenaries amongst the herd. LoL!

Perhaps a proper terminology or description would better clarify the matter and clear any potential misinterpretation.

"The patient had been a victim of motor vehicle accident where the motorbike that he is riding on collided with a pig. The injuries that he sustained are as follows:-"

But of course, that would take time and a mouthful. Rather, us doctors do need some light session to destress the significant cortisol levels in our body. Such would of course help to lower them and keep illnesses at bay. LMAO!

Just something I would like to share ahead of the harsh journey traveling back after the festivities. Here's to wishing you all a safe journey back. Check those vehicle of yours, engine, battery water, windscreen wipers and its water level, engine and brake oils, gears, brakes, tyres and the spare ones too. Make sure you get adequate sleep the day before you start your journey. Any mishaps and misadventures can be prevented. God bless! =)

Journey 2 The Mysterious Island

2012-01-25T13:33:00.002+08:00

A funny, entertaining plot that will keep you immerse in the less-than-meant-to-be-tensed for hours to come. It took quite a while back from The Rock's past entertaining flicks to make yet another return to the sort of films that his muscles ain't the main point of the movie. And that is perhaps quite a rather good one. You won't find The Rock misplaced in any of the scenes, but in fact, him playing a ukulele and singing a rendition from Nat King Cole was a rare spectacle indeed. Laughs are ascertained without a doubt, but whether you find it rather slapstick or a true hilarity, that depends on what you want to feel about it.

I am a fan of The Rock, in any aspect, but more so on his lighter side, the entertaining ones. And of course, I wouldn't say no to one of his action flicks too or rather, his faster pace of punching the lights out of anything that literally moves. Michael Caine was excellent in his role as always. You can't really comment much on a veteran actor. So, if you're planning for a entertaining flick and somehow coincidentally happen to be a fan of the Rock, then I don't think you will regret much with this one. Just don't expect a roaring laughter out of it, it's just meant to entertain, and I think it did it's job.

Movie Rating:- 6/10

Underworld Awakening

2012-01-25T13:20:00.002+08:00

A short burst of dark and dim reappearance of Kate Beckinsale as the hot vampire Selene in the series of Underworld. It tells of her daughter and the capture of her husband Michael Corvin after they left us from the prequel back in 2006's Evolution. If you were pondering, 2009 was more of a retelling of how it all began rather than what actually follows from 2006, hence this current film serves as a bridge to what more is to come from the vampires and the lycans.

Though it pretty much stop short of extending the storyline, it did well in aligning the brief interruption of the past two prequels bringing the Underworld naives in understanding what the whole deal and ordeal is about. I find the action as tense as before, if not even better and that though fairly predictable from the actions of the cast, you could still immerse yourself in the dark atmosphere which was perfectly crafted from the backdrop. The supporting casts were brilliant and complements Kate well in all of her scenes.

Of course, at the late age of hitting 40s, Kate Beckinsale still looks as slim and toned as ever and as sexy as she is in her vampire armor suit. And at that age, she still hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, so expect a lot of deep-stirring action as you follow her about this action-thriller flick. You still get that piece of hot eye-candy as you did when she first came on screen 10 years ago for the first ever film of Underworld.

Movie Rating:- 7/10

Straits Quay CNY 2012

2012-01-24T22:06:00.004+08:00

Decided to take my parents out on the 2nd night of CNY as I was pretty free with my own time. In the essence, it was more of like wanting to give them a treat before I return to Alor Setar. It was decided at first that Sushi King was the ultimate choice, but somehow we decided to take an about turn and opted for Straits Quay as the fact of getting to exercise after eating sounded more appealing. We know that for a fact as Straits Quay boasts of a long trail by the side of the beach. Furthermore, my dad hasn't really been there before, and it was a plus point to go there instead. The place in fact, was pleasantly decorated, not overdone, but just simply and briefly stated, well done. The bustling of the crowd only started to pack in after about half an hour of walking around the place though.

We took about 30 minutes before dinner and strolled along the quay (or whatever it is called) before deciding to stop by at Pappa Rich to have our dinner. This marks the second time I've been to this outlet and I find that the food can be quite enriching in terms of its sweetness. So be wise. Otherwise, the outlet was packed to the brim and we were lucky enough to be able to get a place before everyone crams in. Dinner wasn't too long, but it's good that we get to have a meal together and then thereafter, took a brisk walk around the plaza before adjourning to the Tesco nearby.

Oh, by the way... I get to see a Beagle - a fat and really, really slow Beagle walking along the place and I even get to see him poop. Not that it's something good to mention here, but oh well... how often do I get to see a Beagle poop? LMAO! Alright that's out of point, but then again, it was pretty much it. Quite fun, relaxed and slow. The place is breezy and the company is good. Ahhh... I wonder what's for tomorrow then. Hope the holidays can get longer than this, I can't be bored with such.

CNY Health Tips

2012-01-23T15:11:00.005+08:00

I know CNY is around now. And the fact that for those who have just set up their goals to look good since the start of 2012 should not be a hinder when the glorious foods present itself to you during this CNY. You've got 3 weeks headstart to keep your body up to par before the CNY hits the calendars anywayz. But that shouldn't be a barricade to stop your fitness goals despite the clear reason that there are so much food on the table. Conditioning may be one way to rid yourself off these foods, but of course, who could resist? This takes in months of training and I'm glad that I am able to say no to sweet, salty and fried foods. I can literally live without these things coz after all, I dislike them, somehow. Don't ask me how. So without any further or due, here are some of the tips that I find useful come every CNY. This CNY will be different for me as I managed to shape up a new look from last year. Looks like the year of the rabbit must have gotten me hopping all those calories and fats off, now let's hope that the year of the dragon will get me soaring high, flapping those chicken wings to reduce further fat.

Tip #1

Drink loads of water - this not only keep you healthy and hydrated all the time especially during the hot season of CNY, but it would also keep you full and filled so as to reduce the amount of food that you take in as you go from house to house. I make it a point to drink at least 6 liters a day for the hot and dry CNY time. If you can't, go for 4 liters. This is based ultimately on your body weight. The normal 70 kg person should be able to consume 2-2.5 liters per day, but I go above it.

Tip #2

Move about - don't just keep sitting your butt down on that chair. Move about, walk about, if you can't jog, skip ropes, do squats, pull ups, chin ups or whatever exercises that can keep your heart rate up. Wash the house, clean the cars, mow the lawn or do some gardening. Don't give the reason that it is CNY, then you should rest. That is utter nonsense. I don't believe in resting too much anywayz. Since the start of my holidays, I have done 2 sessions of 1 hour each of rope skipping, 100s of pull ups and chin ups as well as push ups. Jz keep your body moving and never stop. Just remember, the more you put your body on the move, the more calories you burn.

Tip #3

Avoid gassy drinks. Drink water, black coffee and tea without milk, cream or sugar. Forgo the gassy canned or soft drinks. Nothing good will come out from drinking them. You won't feel good after drinking them, in fact you will only feel gassy. Those high carbohydrate drinks would push up your glucose load so try your best to avoid them. Bring your own water and from house to house stop, ask for a refill. That is way better. You save yourself from the trouble and expand the length of time from getting diabetes, or may even prevent the development of such.

Tip #4

Reduce the food you eat. Utilize the concept of palm grasp. The size of your palm is equivalent to the amount of food you should eat. But if you decide to go more, make sure that you work out doubly hard or keep your body on the constant move to burn those extra stuffs that you feed your body. Hence, going with the right amount of food would thus reduce the excess need for you to excessively workout. Remember always, your body has an inbuilt mechanism to burn away those foods that you consume. It can only be up to a certain par, to increase this machinery's capability requires a long time of muscle bulking, but if you've just started, then to compensate for this lack of thermogenic effect, you should go low in amount of food taken.

Tip #5

Take in more fruits. Don't blend them, and don't juice them. Eat them pure and whole. Forget about mandarin oranges or if you really can't, then take one or two (the less the better) per day. These mandarin oranges are 'heaty' and are well known to be the primary cause of upper respiratory tract infections since goodness knows how long. Opt for the proper orange then. More vitamin C! And don't forget, if you can't resist the mandarin oranges, then drink more clear clean water!

Tip #6

Cookies. No one can live without them. But I can. Somehow. I conditioned myself to avoid these things. And I don't get tempted anywayz. That again depends on your willpower. I find these things to be heaty too. And combined together with mandarin oranges, you'd end up taking pills and sleeping more often than continuing the celebrations of CNY. So remember that if it is a must, take only a few. Less than 6-7 pieces would be good. Share it with a fellow friend or relative. Go for minimal quantity and maximal variation. Take different cookies to pleasure your taste buds but you don't need a lot to. These little babies are packed with high amount of caloric content, especially fat (all these come from the butter used to make them).

Tip #7

Eat healthily in the morning when you wake up. Opt for one big bowl of oats with milk. Dunk them in and you will feel full until late lunch. You won't even want to eat anything else aside from that. Go for nuts nuts and more nuts. Grains and yes, more oats! Come to think of it, almonds, cashew nuts and a handful of peanuts actually make rather good snacks for visitors and yes, for you too! So, opt for those without salt, or lightly salted ones and if you insist, go for the honey almonds. But I would still prefer them bland. The blander they are, the better it is, and you will definitely feel good about your body having consumed something healthy.

Tip #8

Sleep early, get a good amount of rest to rejuvenate and replenish your body especially after a long day traveling and moving about. You need the adequate sleep to feel refreshed the following day. Go for 8 hours sleep, uninterrupted. Don't take a toll on your body, don't overuse it and don't abuse it. Feed it with good stuffs, treat it well, and it will definitely reward you indefinitely. So go for good stuffs, healthy stuffs and stuffs that will make you psychologically and physically fit.

I guess that's about it that I have for ya. My techniques may be a bit drastic and aggressive, but I keep certain that this is the point as to ensure how important it is to stay fit and healthy. Like the saying always go, health is better than wealth, and to have health is to have wealth. Needless to say, it is paramount to keep your body up to shape and to par. Be flexible with the things that you eat but be strict at it at the same time. You will get the hang of it the more you practice the method of selective eating.

So, with that... all the best in your venture with the cookies, tidbits, mandarin oranges and drinks that you will certainly be served as you go from house to house! My specialist often say rather to starve than to pleasure your taste bud, but I won't go that extreme or stringent. Haha...

Bruno's Red Packet

2012-01-23T15:08:00.002+08:00

So Bruno too would like to wish you guys a very blessed CNY! I don't think he is too happy for two single reason. He ain't got that much money in his red packet (just only a few coins to keep him jingly happy) and he's got a bad hair day. =P LoL! Oh well... coins would be better than notes, lest he start tearing them apart with his hands. I know, I know what you guys are thinking right now... dawgs do have hands you know? Well at least for Bruno d'Underdawg! =)

Garlic Galore

2012-01-23T14:49:00.003+08:00

Some people can't live without, many would rather do without it, but for a few people such as me, I love them to the core. And when I mean I love them, this would essentially mean the whole of it. The greatest consumption of garlic in each year round has to be me, and I am proud to claim that award alone with a stinking breath of garlic! LOL! And CNY is just the perfect timing to consume them. You can mix them with steamed foods, boiled products as well as those much anticipated dishes cooked with the steamboat style.

Of course, given the chance that I don't have to speak to anyone later on, I would gladly eat up one whole big bowl of it raw. LMAO! That would be equivalent to at least a few hundred grams of garlic and I did just that on two occasions this CNY already. Nothing is going to stop me from consuming more of them. In fact, I stink pretty bad later on. My whole body reeks of garlic and the pungent smell would drive not only vampires away but cats, yes cats away! Coz there's just too many cats around my compound that I have no idea where they came from. I saw them scurrying away like little rats when I got home (something that you won't see them doing for the past few days and the past few months). That gave me the idea that it has to be attributed towards the huge amount of garlic that I have just consumed a few hours back. Don't even get me started with burping, farting and peeing out the garlic. Wait a tick... that explains why the toilet bowl has been stinking since yesterday evening. LMAO!

All the more, garlic is the best and cheapest form of antioxidants there is in the market. Couple that with orange, onion, green tea, coffee, deep dark black chocolate and red wine, you're pretty much on the go in fighting all the diseases in the world. Even all the bugs and bacterias would be running off with their feet and tentacles (if they have one) to wherever they can.

Talking about the recent reunion. My girlfriend's family did the same thing this year by ushering in the new year with wrapping popiahs. Well, I don't really know that much about tradition and stuffs, but the most important thing is that I get the opportunity to lush in the garlic that is on the ready. The popiah wraps go into the base of the plate, followed by the lettuce, then a vast amount of 2 teaspoons of raw garlic followed by strips of turnips and then toppled with the luscious red belacan. Wrap it all up and dunk it in your mouth. Needless to say, I sweat buckets and got dehydrated all too soon. But darn! That was so good that I don't even feel the heat or the spiciness. In fact, nothing is too spicy, not yet for the ABAH2 creator =P

So come on now, give me the award, before I start burping and breathing down your throat. Hahaha... Oh well... here's another wish of a very blessed Chinese New Year to all of you guys and girls out there. Hope you had a wonderful reunion dinner the night before and as well as garnering all those red packets in your hands by the load by now. Have fun, and if you have no idea on what to spend all those angpow money on, you can kindly donate it to me. I can alleviate your suffering and psychological stress on that dilemmatic decision.

Scrooking Experience

2012-01-21T16:40:00.002+08:00

As the title says and suggests and sounds, it's pretty much a combination of screwed up cooking. My girlfriend had to be away for about week and I had to do with some cooking myself. Of course, haven't really much ventured into the world of cooking, this had to be one of the most inept things that I have ever done. My hands are tied from cooking so far and the ability to whip up a certain dish is rather limited. Of course, I do have a little trick or two to start off with, but to survive with a rice cooker, saucepan and some raw food, I guess I don't think I can last that long.

I stopped by at Tesco on day one and got some things that I guess wouldn't allow me to blow up the kitchen if I cook them. So cleverly, I got some frozen vegetables and chicken fillet. I hate to pry open all the skin and the bones, as that will take up too much time. So, fillet would do. Seeing that I rarely need spices, I left without all of those. My first venture was to cook something simple for dinner on the 1st night I was alone. So, I decided on chicken soup with mixed vegetable. That was the most sensible thing to do, and yet I screwed it up pretty bad. I filled up the rice cooker with water and chuck in all the chicken fillet that I wanted alongside the measurements labelled on the picture with regards to the vegetables I wanted. I left it on for about half an hour and administered some salt to go with it. It was pretty hot, so I left it to cool down for another 20 minutes. By then I was extremely hungry. I poured the soup into a bowl and walloped the whole thing without thinking twice. Of course, it was awful. There weren't any taste of salt in it and it was like drinking water. That must have been the healthiest ever meal that I ever had, I thought to myself.

And indeed it was. I got hungry 3 hours later, after I peed out all the soup. I had to fix myself with a big bowl of oats with milk before I scurried into bed with a growling stomach. =(

That was pretty much how it looked after it was done...

My girlfriend suggested that I go for stew on the 2nd day, and so I decided to give it a go. She gave me the specifics on how to whip up a good meal and I was delighted to try it out. I came back early that day and fixed myself another dinner to go. I jogged for an hour and by the time I returned, I was pretty hungry. But before I went for my exercise, I again filled up the rice cooker with now 2 liters of water and chuck in all the chicken fillet I wanted to eat alongside all the mixed vegetables that I wanted to devour. I then pried open the noodles that come in round shaped size, or whatever you call them. My girlfriend suggested oyster sauce, so I put a tablespoon of it into the soup to make it into a stew. Then this was followed by another half teaspoon of salt. I put it to boil for an hour and then left it to cool for another 20 minutes.

The noodle sitting on what turned out to be water rather than soup/stew. It looks good at first sight, but tasted VERY bland. Only a person like me can finish up two big bowls of this and didn't really complain, but looks like I am now...

From the boiling rice cooker, I thought I'd done a great job. It smelled awesome and the fumes were inviting. I poured into a huge bowl and devoured the first bowl without much thought. It was only the second bowl that when I started eating had I know that I was actually drinking noodles in water. The blandness irked me this time and I again had to end up hungry 3 hours later. Again, oats came to the rescue, and I fixed up a huge bowl of it myself before scurrying into bed with a growling stomach.

Third night came, I cooked the same as the first night and fried myself some eggs and chicken fillet. This tasted better with the olive oil that I put in and some chili sauce that I had. But again, that wasn't filling and I had to repeat what I did on the first two nights. Oats.

The final night, I decided to eat out. The rest is history. I definitely missed my girlfriend's cooking =(

Upcoming CNY Hype

2012-01-21T16:24:00.004+08:00

Decoration speaks volume. And Gurney Plaza is already hyped out about the upcoming Chinese New Year. Went there for lunch today and to pick up some stuffs and it is without a doubt a packed crowd all the way. Traffic's bad, and would get worse over the next few days. Crowd's up to the brim and nevertheless, it won't become less congested as the next few days come about with people thronging the malls just so to do some last minute shopping or just to chill and relax in the cool breeze (we all know how hot the weather will become each and every CNY year after year) or some may just be lingering in the restaurant to dine and wine; purportedly too busy to prepare the much eager sort after reunion dinner (which involves a great deal of chopping, slicing, boiling, steaming, cooking and yes, eating).

I doubt I would be sticking around the malls for the next few days to come as I'd rather be relaxing my brains and my body from all those hype. Working is enough congestion and it sufficiently provides me with too much physical and psychological stress. I've had enough with crowds that I think just to relax from all those bustle is a good bargain. In fact, for the past two days, it's just my family and me, and of course, with Bruno. Ahhh... how peaceful that can be. I can surf the net anytime I want and play all the games in the world that I have been missing and distracted from all those business at work.

Having to come online and type a few blog entries is what I have been wanting to do all these while. But work can be pretty 'darnful' when it interfere with your mind, making you psychologically challenged and stressed out. I'm beginning to rejuvenate all those energy lost, but I can't help but mentally prepare for the rapid draining of energy that is to come soon, once my holidays come to an end. There has to be a mechanism to prevent this rapid draining of energy, coz it's just too much and too fast =P

Oh well... Gong Xi Gong Xi to all of you first! =)

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2012-01-20T17:17:00.002+08:00

Here's to wishing all of you a very blessed Chinese New Year 2012, the Year of the Dragon! May you all be blessed with ongoing prosperity as you usher in the New Year with your beloved family and friends. God bless! And please do drive safely on the roads for those of you who are returning to your respected hometown. Eat more, drink less, drive safe and keep those hearts healthy! Stay out of the hot weather too and drink loads of water. Good clean water, not those soft drinks or canned drinks.

Feet or Fit

2012-01-20T17:10:00.003+08:00

I recently came across a documentation which made me ponder for a while as I tried to reason what it meant. A patient had recently been admitted for some sort of infection, details of which I will not reveal too much as this will then lead to the loss of ambiguity. She was treated with the typical sort of antibiotics and later on developed a few episodes of seizures. A documentation or more so put, an entry was highlighted to me as I went through the history of the patient and the progression inward. A forgotten entry, some sort of what I would believe would have happened turned out to be more of a typo which as it is was extremely hilarious.

A person had typed in "no more feet" and I was thinking that perhaps this patient's seizures came in the form of involuntary movement of the foot. However, this was not meant to be as the following sentences didn't have any connection with the first. It was inappropriate. And it took me more than a few minutes to realize that the person had wanted to mean no more "fit". Fit a.k.a. seizures. The rest is history.

To rub it in... here are some pictorial representation:-

This is an episode of a fit

These are a pair of feet

Significantly different meaning by just switching the alphabets or adding in unnecessary letters. Please stop laughing... no... I mean it! =P

Coffee Oats

2012-01-20T17:01:00.003+08:00

Decided to give this fusion a try and it turned out pretty much simply bland. Not many would love to give this a go and I'm talking about pure black coffee. Those simply dark roasted without any sugar or cream added to it. Plus that into your bland oats and top it up with hot boiling water and leave it to cool. Then eat it just like that. I won't lie to you. Only those who don't have a taste for anything would actually find this edible. I made about 150 grams of coffee oats and walloped the whole thing in less than a minute. That's pretty much like half a big soup bowl. The conclusion? Yucky but yummy! Well, only a health freak like me who has no sense of enjoyment in food life would say yes to this kinda thing. But if you decided to have a better go for this sorta food, may I recommend adding a little bit of chocolate milk or raisins or yogurt. Strawberries and cherries or even mango slices may give it a kick, but I find these unoriginal and adds on to your caloric intake per shift. Hence, I tend to forgo that and go with my typical 150 kcals of fixed oats which I take every morning. That said, I can save more than enough calories for the other meals.

On a side note, I love coffee! Black coffee to be specific. And as I have stated in my past entries, I take these delicious black coffee in the morning everyday since January last year without sugar, without cream, without milk. But lately I had to put some milk in it for the calcium requirements as I am pushing weights back again. I take black coffee empty coz it saves calories. One big cup like that would go for around 0-1 kcal and is literally zero in fats and carbs. I've sorta developed a knack for these bitter things and I don't complain even when things are cooked bland. I think I'm eccentric... or weird... but I've seen enough of diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease.

Devil's Double

2012-01-18T21:16:00.003+08:00

Graphic. Intense. Epic. It's never enough. But this film describes the insanity that you could never have imagined. I shan't reveal too much about it, lest the fun gets downsized. Dominic Cooper is a definite right choice to put in the place of Uday and I can't, at the present time think of anyone that could utterly replace him. The portrayal was excellent and the capability to display two varying degrees of personality at any one point of time was brilliant.

Movie Rating:- 8/10

30 Minutes or Less

2012-01-16T16:08:00.002+08:00

I applaud this film for its character and successful determination to make it look hilarious in a casual way. Its perhaps a fun mode to keep an eye out on some supportive casts as they make up an interactive bunch though I felt that Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari had quite a bit of an eccentric chemistry... in many ways. Nevertheless, the film has its arena of composite characters with quite a partnership in their own preference. Its not rocket science to understand these members of personality brought onto the set, but it is intricate when it comes to the interplay of words and conversation which makes the script crispy and fun to watch.

It does successfully sell its main idea and the plot will definitely keep you on your seat with the most crafty, yet unpredictable humor remain towards the end.

Movie Rating:- 6/10

Killer Elite

2012-01-10T18:31:00.002+08:00

A somewhat recreation of a purportedly true event of the past, drawn all the way back to the 1980s. It's portrayed in the form of a dark thriller with a sense of guiltless circumstance as each man, like the title says, is tasked to save himself and his assets. It's nothing like the non fictitious norm that you witness every day in the silver screens. This recreation of a string of true events may appear relatively dull for certain group of people who aren't used to watching it. I wasn't one of the latter group, but I could well, more or less pull up a certain likes about it. Not recommended for those who intends to enjoy an action-packed and thrilled movie though.

Movie Rating:- 6/10

Crazy, Stupid, Love

2012-01-10T18:17:00.002+08:00

Everything turns wild in this comedy flick that transcends the 'epicness' of all comedic movies. There aren't many words that you can use to describe how hilarious the movie can get especially with Steve Carrell in it. Be it in a serious note or a joke, the guy has all the essence to make you laugh a good laugh in each appearance he makes as well as each punch lines he denotes. Relax... this comedy is pretty down to earth, not as shallow as many people would perceive it to be just by reading the synopsis of the movie and is surprisingly quite a lovable film which could possibly rank ahead of many for the weeks to come.

Movie Rating:- 7/10

Broccoli or BoCooLi

2012-01-06T12:19:00.002+08:00

I was shopping in Tesco the other day when I came across a middle aged aunty who had perhaps just discovered the magic wonders about broccoli. She was so fascinated by the beautiful extra green broccoli shown on display (and I had to admit, the broccoli at that particular time was indeed fresh bright green and I was also tempted to buy some, only thing perhaps is the fact that I have no idea on how to properly cook them so as not to waste away all those healthy benefits of the green thing) that she started to exclaim in loud Chinese words to her husband.

There were a lot of Chinese words in the Hokkien phrase but one word caught my attention and I nearly burst out laughing. Had I indeed burst out laughing, I would perhaps been given a education that may result in me not being to talk again. Anyway, I find it too funny not to share and thus decided to put it here in my blog. This has been kept anonymous as to who the person is but such light moments could alleviate the hardwork that we dwell in during all our routines.

And thus the pronunciation of broccoli was taken to be BOK-COO-LEE. The funniest part wasn't the first time she pronounced it, but she did it over and over again in one single sentence that it was too hard to keep it in my stomach. I had to laugh, and so I carted whatever I needed and swirled into the next lane to laugh my butt off!!

Chick Magnet

2012-01-06T12:11:00.004+08:00

This film sheds a new light into the view of filmography up till now. Perhaps some group of individuals may have thought of this thing that could attract girls more easily to them and to have this film come true must have been a visual conclusion as to the amount of imagination built up within hindsight. Thus, the film could verily fulfill those thoughts by creating a kamasutra shirt that the fair sex may find it hard to resist.

I find it's similarity to one of the many National Lampoon's series only that the former may require a lot more to pump in for that amount of fame to be garnered. The film picks on certain things that may not appeal too well with a huge group of population, and that being said, would of course be towards the ladies. But somehow, it attempts to divert that attention away by providing a sideplot that some may find it too romantic and faithful to resist.

Take it easy! That would perhaps be the advice that I can offer if you are planning to watch this, lest one becomes too agitated all over with it. I had fun with the film... after having poured out what I think anywayz.

Movie Rating:- 4/10

Charlie Brown's Restaurant

2012-01-02T23:32:00.007+08:00

Perhaps one of the most intriguing and exciting place to be in for diehard Peanuts fans. I can say so myself as I have been one since the brilliant age of 4 or 5. I got myself a box full of Snoopy playing cards at that age and although I have no friggin' idea on how to play it (even up till now), you could say that my face lit up at the face of the beagle's expression. Snoopy must have been the first pet dog that crossed my mind and made me into a dog lover ever since. No doubt about that one. I then ventured through several more years of admiring Snoopy before my parents got me a whole set with 15 volumes of Charlie Brown's 'Cyclopedia which I poured my mind on for the rest of that year and subsequently for the rest to come. It was since then that I recalled the vast amount of knowledge that I have gained back then which must have originated from those books. I still have those books now, and I read them now for pleasure just by reading the comic strips that are intertwined intermittently in the pages.

Charlie Brown's restaurant is located in Straits Quay, the new place and agenda in Penang Island. If you are a Penangite, then there shan't be any problem locating the place. But if you aren't, it's the turning you make at Island Plaza. Drive straight on until you see the plaza. The cafe is on the 1st floor at the east wing. The restaurant opens at 10.30 AM everyday and you will be greeted by the familiar faces of the Peanuts Gang. From the famous waiting for the school bus queue to the adoration of the famous acts of Snoopy and Woodstock. Of course, Linus will always be with his blanket sucking his thumb and Peppermint Patty with her freckles all over who shines an outright authoritative figure. Schroeder with his piano and the unmistakable Lucy leaning on the piano.

The ceiling are decorated with badges of the famous Peanuts character...

They serve some local delicacies to which I doubt to try as I believe these aren't their real signature dishes. The more famous treats are their cakes, desserts and coffee designed with the characters of the Peanuts gang on it. These are perhaps more than well done and deserve an applause. The other foods are just average-ish. We had their sandwich with cheese and egg as well as their pizza which comes as a pleasant treat. Just at our expectation level as we have already guessed that it is more than a treats place rather than a cuisine restaurant.

As you treat your tastebuds to the senses of the sweetness of the desserts, your eyes venture around to the great amount of decors that they take the pain to put up. There is even a souvenir shop for you to purchase some delightful memorabilia home, but I strongly discourage it unless if you are really a diehard and must-have-Snoopy-product fan. The memorabilia don't come cheap as they are as expected imported products but nevertheless, it is quite a bargain if you are willing. They sell products ranging from cutleries, crockeries, apparels, soft toys to underwear, yes... you heard right... underwears!

I shall let the picture do the talking. Have fun!

Snoopy and his bone

The bar, you place your order here before you choose where you gonna sit. They don't serve you if you are seated first. A different style altogether perhaps?

The souvenir shop, we chose to sit just right opposite it and as you can see there are rows of apparels for you to select

The seat that takes the shape of a bone

New Year's Eve

2011-12-29T23:06:00.003+08:00

Another Love, Actually theme-styled movie. Only with lesser punch lines and less stronger message. It tries hard to deliver the message of love and a feeling of closeness as one draws towards the end of the year. It tries hard to tell the stories of different varying characters from differing background and on how they interact with each other. In some ways, I thought that they did a pretty good job, but on the other hand, the enormous amount of jumbled characters were kinda confusing and weren't handled quite well. Felt that the whole thing could have been better if characters were reduced to a manageable amount and dwelt on further. Casting too many enthusiastically gives certain characters more focus while the rest appears too little to be classified as a cameo.

Movie Rating:- 4/10

Blessed New Year 2012

2011-12-29T19:18:00.004+08:00

Blessed New Year 2012! May all your dreams and wishes finally turn into reality. Another new year calls for another list of new year resolution and I guess we've got pretty much of stuff to think about over the next few days just before the new year kicks in.

Some resolutions that I've achieved this year is the drastic weight loss over the course of 9 months from 80 kg to 64 kg, gaining a few pounds of muscle over that same amount of time and as well as finally attaining the 6 packs that I've been longing for since early 2009. I'm also able to jog faster and longer compared to the initial beginnings of the year as well as the years before that and never have I actually believed that I would be able to reach that height. Whatever there is, most of my years have been spent on achieving my ideal body weight, but I've more or less overachieved this over that time with a proper strict diet.

The other resolution in 2011 that I fully achieved this year is the ability to pick up echocardiogram and carry out a detailed examination and assessment of the heart; which has in many occasions come in handy during complicated cases without a proper diagnosis. I'm also glad that I could help out a lot of colleagues during my tenure in learning the ability to do an echocardiogram as well as imparting the knowledge to some of my fellow co-workers too. The 6 month period of picking up the ability to do an echo is not an easy task, having to do up to 8 full echos in a day everyday was a gigantic achievement but with the vast amount of time in my hands while in the cardiology department, this was a possible thing. The challenge finally turned into a huge reward when I am finally capable of doing an echo independently without supervision by the 4th month.

And so that leaves me my 2012 resolution, which is none other than to gain more muscle mass as well as to pass my PACES examination. And perhaps something more... which is for me to know and not yet for you all to find out =P So have yourself a very blessed 2012 New Year and please do celebrate it without having to end up in the wrong end.

What's Your Number

2011-12-29T18:28:00.003+08:00

A complete waste of time I felt. Superficial script with stereotypical characters and predictable outcomes coupled with the fact that Anna Faris is in it kinda sums up how difficult and challenged it would be to overcome most dramadies that are currently out there in the blockbusters. Though both Chris Evans and Anna Faris are seasoned actors, I humbly and personally think that they don't quite fit into this movie. Just my two cents worth which I think would go a long way for those who aren't really into these cheap yet funny romance. Certainly not my cup of tea.

Movie Rating:- 4/10

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T10:57:00.002+08:00

So what did I do during this jolly season?

It seems to me like any other Christmas. A quiet one spent on celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and as well as spending the remaining time there is with loved ones. I try as much as possible each year round since I started working to get leave so as to be able to return to my hometown to be with my loved ones. This is something immeasurable and a definite must to be able to feel the warmth of Christmas. So this year around, much of the leave that I have saved up in went into the year end celebration of this much awaited festivity.

It all started on the eve of Christmas when my girlfriend and I attended a friend's wedding. Not just any friend though, a long time friend in fact, whom I've come to gladly know back in those secondary school years. I recalled giving him the nick Bruno which I thought he never seemed to like. But somehow the name kinda grew on him and over time it got stuck on ever since we are friends. His wedding was held in the Eastin Hotel in Penang. A splendid one I have to say with free flow of red wine, white wine and beer. It was a spectacular sight as I believed that such a wedding must have cost a fortune considering the decoration, entertainment and food that was there that night. The whole of the evening lasted till about 11pm and needless to say, we we both exhausted to the max.

Christmas Day started early though with church service at 10am followed by lunch and then a movie in Queensbay. There was a sermon on light vs darkness and how Christ came into our lives granting us a second chance on life over sin. Had this sermon imprinted in my heart year in and year out and I always smile to myself when I get the opportunity to listen to it. Despite the similar message being served across by different preachers, all have one objective in common and that is to encourage those who are already Christians to renew their faith in God and to those who are still new, to give their lives to God. It is good to be reminded and I gave my full concentration during the sermon.

After which we had the Irish luck to watch Arthur Christmas after church. In fact, we manage to catch it in time amidst the difficulty in finding a car park slot. We had planned to watch it but had no idea what time it was screening and reached the mall at about 12.30pm. The first screening happened to be at about 2.20pm so everything was good. It was wonderful and all the better to get to spend the wonderful day with my dearest girlfriend. The rest of the day before dinner starts was then spent on the nicknacks, what I like to label it as not knowing what else to do save for just walking aimlessly until the time comes. Of course, we manage to sit down in Jcools eating frogurt and drinking espresso, but we decided to retire home before the dinner event starts.

After gathering her family all around, we then head on to the annual dinner event, the Victoria Station, well known for its beef. This time around, I decided to have their signature black pepper steak which was an absolute awe to marvel at. The texture of the steak was slightly rubbery but the sauce was a touch of heaven as it swirls in with the steak and your tongue. Yummylicious! Well, I don't have the picture here so you guys just have to use your imagination to go on about it.

It was a brief dinner event, but a long day for both my girlfriend and I. Suffice to say, I headed straight back home after dropping my dearest and snoozed till broad daylight. A short summary on how I spent my Christmas but the best and dazzling moment of it all is to spend it with my girlfriend. And I do hope that there are many more to come. Thanks dear2!

Arthur Christmas

2011-12-27T10:56:00.002+08:00

A really entertaining 3D film that will definitely bring cheers and joys this Christmas for the family. So, if you plan to somehow have fun altogether with adults and kids alike and have no plans made, then this movie will quite somehow solve the issue for you. The characters and storyline are pretty much entertaining as it is and I have the impression that it somehow would make it to the top of the rankings this year with its absolute Christmas-sy charm. This movie has it, you know, and I highly reckon that you watch it before they take it down. Thank goodness I get to still watch it on the silver screens. Won't reveal much save to say that it has all of its base covered for an ideal cinematic experience.

Movie Rating:- 8/10

Sherlock Holmes, A Game of Shadows

2011-12-27T10:54:00.003+08:00

It would have seem that I highly regard Sherlock Holmes as it is, in particular the text that I've read enormously prior to starting housemanship, but this movie which came to be known approximately two years back made a strong triumphant return with such singular circumstance (with a few unexpected twist). Though of course it is of such pity that Professor Moriarty had to be thrown into the net at such a strong start as well as at a satirical expressionless act. I would have expected something cold-hearted, more evil and a highly resistant foe that would automatically send shivers down your spine by just looking at him. Or perhaps to prolong the ordeal of the fans by delaying the enemy to a later sequel, if that is the plan at all. The film portrayed much of Moriarty and Holmes too easily compared to how Arthur Conan Doyle did, and at any one point, i had the idea that it was done so for the sake of entertainment. The latter had much calmness in him and much time and patience in drawing its character while I had a feeling that the movie did quite bit of a rush to bring the case to an end. That said, they did manage however to pull in a great deal of laughters from the fan with Holmes perfectly performing his illusionistic cover ups.

It's quite an effort in making this movie most would say, but somehow the real hero still remains with the book. No one could paint such a vivid picture of a drug addicted chemist with a flaunt of a swordsman and a keen sense for singular cases. But then again, we won't want to bore the new generation of people with complicated English and a turret of undulating gestures that I believe would best be omitted.

Movie Rating:- 8/10

Cerebral Malaria

2011-12-22T23:39:00.003+08:00

Just a few days back, I saw an entry in one of a patient's problem list as cerebral malaria secondary to motor vehicular accident. Suspicious about that fact, I kept asking myself how could a vehicle accident make a person prone in getting cerebral malaria. I was pondering over this question over and over again when my house officer finally came and joined me for rounds. She didn't know what to say as this problem list has been there for a long period of time since the case had been a long one. And to pour through the notes seemed like a relentless effort. But since the both of us had the time, we finally decided to look through the pages and seek out when it was first listed down as a problem. We did manage to trace down the page that first documented it, and when we flipped through all the investigations, radiologically and biochemically, we finally found out that it was, in one of the CT brains that it had been reported as cerebromalacia a.k.a. encephalomalacia.

This is a pathological term and to define it from the dictionary it brings this meaning of a softness or degeneration of brain tissue, as caused by impairment of the blood supply; softening of the brain.

That is a totally different dimension and so distinguishable and defined that the both of us broke into laughter before having my house officer corrected the problem list and draw out a new one before this confusion gets carried on and on for goodness knows how long. For the sake of many, cerebral malaria is translated simply to mean malarial infection of the brain. Medical staffs should by now be rolling on the floor laughing their heads off.

Flypaper

2011-12-22T23:28:00.003+08:00

A short, really short, brief movie that delivers a comedy-thriller in an odd, yet interesting manner. It keeps your mind on the tick and you wouldn't really believe it if I were to tell you that had you gone off for that short toilet break, you would literally lose the connection. I guess I had to keep on rewinding to see what Patrick Dempsey is obsessed about with his all-round repetitive firing of words and acting of play. There is a combination of varied characters which were played all round too well in fact and much of the conversation can be yearned from subliminal messages; which is a good thing that keeps the thriller, really a thriller.

It's that literal sort of movie that still keeps your mind running even after the credits roll, and had you not got it the first time you watch it, well... welcome aboard. It's not that easy you know? My best bet for those who will really enjoy this movie is a thriller-fan based eager beaver; otherwise, you'd be caught in the middle of nowhere. And from my side of it, I can only see two outcome out from this. Either you catch it quick and get entertained or you bust your own balls hanging and waiting for the credits to roll without any idea on what the heck the actors are mumbling about, well at least for Dempsey.

Movie Rating:- 6/10

Conan the Barbarian

2011-12-22T23:21:00.002+08:00

Loads of action. Loads of beheading and blood-shedding. A great deal of muscled-swinging and sword-wielding power that definitely packs a punch if you are there for the pure entertainment of some kick-ass action film. If you are really the latter, then hoo-ah! But really, what's behind it all for those who are there for deeper reasons? The storyline is rather cliche, it starts out so stereotypically with the repetition of what most legends would grow up from. Although it paints a vivid picture of our childhood memories who love Conan the Barbarian, this film fails in its screenplay in giving a topic with a crisp slot. What the movie does perhaps is to put on a nice show with some really interesting graphics and 3D images that fails not to amaze; yet certain movie connoisseur may find it hard to absorb the literal truth behind all of that cover.

Perhaps it is hard to relive legends with a film, and it is even harder to make a sequel thereafter. Let's just stop at that. My two cents worth.

Movie Rating:- 5/10

Blessed Christmas 2011

2011-12-22T16:09:00.003+08:00

The season is here again! And I'd like to take some time off in wishing you readers out there a blessed Christmas. Remember... it's a time of sharing, caring, loving and best of all remembering of what Christ did for us 2,000 years back. May you all be richly blessed with love and share it on to whoever that is around you. Don't be too swamped or drowned out of those gorgeous food and prezzies that you forget the true meaning behind Christmas. =) God BLESS!!

Change-Up

2011-12-21T12:18:00.005+08:00

One word. Nice! I guess I kinda sum it up in general. More or less. Perhaps. But then again, I can't resist the temptation to let in on more about the movie. Yet, if I were to blow the top off, then it would spoil the fun for most of those eager beavers who are willing to give this movie a chance. You won't regret it, that is an assurance to come although you can't expect it to pay off brilliantly. Just sit through it with a blank mind, like a sponge, ready to absorb on whatever that is to come and you will find that there are quite a deal of unexpected humor that would somehow trickle into your nerves and make you laugh out loud. No literally... I'm not joking about the latter.

I thought Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman as a good co-actor together and as usual, our Olivia Wilde did make a fine impression. I always thought that she could turn necks, well... she did turn mine =)

Movie Rating:- 6/10

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

2011-12-19T23:26:00.006+08:00

A movie that surpasses the other prequels indefinitely. It certainly has the basic ingredients in a thriller-action movie making potential and to top it all, it has the general idea in keeping each movie an improvement from the past. This is indeed one step ahead than the other missions that Ethan Hunt has been on and it packs a great deal of punches to keep you glued onto your seat from the start to the end. Suffice to say, it knows when to deliver and when not to. The cheesy stuffs for all that matter has been taken out and replaced with proper chemical flow between the actors and the crisp script. I'd dare to give you the assurance and confidence that you will be entertained nevertheless of what background you may hail from. Trust all the sites that gives this movie a high rating coz it definitely has the essence in deserving it. Tom Cruise has not lost it yet, for that matter. He can still jump, glide and run, and I guess that would still be enough to give him extra credit at this age.

Movie Rating:- 8.5/10

The Debt

2011-12-16T20:26:00.005+08:00

An arguably good film. For some, it may be postulated as a dry script, but for those who enjoys a good coffee thriller, this title is highly recommended.

One that surpasses a common thriller if I could have it my way. One that combines originality with a crisp storyline that keeps its worth. Despite the fact that two very distinct timelines were shown on screen from time to time, it fails not to distinguish the very simple fact on how way things were dealt with and how vivid the imagination still remains in the minds of the agents. Although the excitement were much in lacking, you won't be surprised that with each of these moments that pass you by, it still could momentarily keep you still in suspense on what is to come. The actors paint a perfect presence in relation to the background ambiance and their expression to this were heartfelt.

But all in all, a combination of envy, jealousy, enthusiasm and deep striking hatred were given an equal cue that keeps it all in a perfect balance. Rachel Singer is by right at her very peak notch in this performance as you can tell. Her chemistry with the evil Dr Vogel (Jesper Christensen) were priceless, a textbook acting skill that goes beyond imagination.

Movie Rating:- 8/10

In Time

2011-12-16T09:25:00.002+08:00

I don't say I dislike nor do I loathe Justin Timberlake that much, but I do have to admit that this movie does have its making in the action series. In anything particular, you'd need an expressionless soul in making this film possible and he seems to fit the bill with all his actions in nailing the correct sequences in making the whole thing actually believable. Of course, this is coupled with all the graphics and the CGIs to make it look more intense. You will come to learn about the term 'time-out' in this movie to which you would relate to a great deal of palpitations and stress that reflects the peak moments of the script.

Though Amanda Seyfried complements well in most parts, I do feel that her introductory character does put her out of place but peculiarly, this somehow doesn't seem to be her fault. Anyways, this would rapidly dilute out as you immerse yourself in the action and thriller which forms the parcel of how the apparent future would be like. The currency in time, which I do hope will never happen.

Movie Rating:- 6/10

Larry Crowne

2011-12-16T09:15:00.003+08:00

Anything to do with Tom Hanks is a good movie. Hold that... a freakishly great movie! You can't be an actor with so many facial expression and yet be such an innocent looking man which gives the audience so many things to think about and to marvel at. Put that with Julia Roberts and both these seasoned actors would delight you on the priorities of life and how wonderful life can actually be if it's taken a shot from a different angle. I'd hail this movie as one punch at the right hole that gives a lot and tells a lot. No one who hungers life at its fullest should miss out on this one. Excellent work Tom Hanks! Yet again, he never fails any of us with his movie from the start where he was Forrest Gump.

Movie Rating:- 7/10

Consolation

2011-12-09T14:19:00.005+08:00

Being commented on by patients on something good that you have done to them may seem a rarity especially when you are in the lower hierarchy. That is probably because you don't have much of a time to spend on one particular patient when you have so much more that needs your utmost and immediate attention. But of course there are times that may permit your fullest attention span on a particular patient when deemed appropriate. Although not many encounters have crossed this occasion, I am particularly glad that I get to counsel a patient who was suspected to have multiple sclerosis. As it is, a diagnosis of such magnitude would send many into a state of shell shock. Many would turn their vast amount of energy and time in reading what this illness is and of most importance is to seek for whether there is a cure or not.

Based on the amount of training that I get since preparing for my exam, I could somehow miraculously talk, counsel and coax the patient into less of a despair. Seeing her leaving the consultation with a smile on her face and something good on her lips to say to me or praise me is all part and parcel on why I wanted to venture into the medical field in the first place. To make a difference in people's life even despite the fact that there is nothing much that can be done to correct or reverse the disease at hand. Words of consolation and encouragement when used appropriately is so powerful that during communication skills practice, I would have thought that it was just common in overall to be used in our community.

And now that I have seen how powerful it is, I am going to spur further and utilize my communicating skills, of what's left of it to console further, communicate further and to help patients in the near future.

Many thanks to this very patient in making me realize how crucial it is in terms of communication skills. I will definitely not forget this. I wish you all the best in fighting this illness and hope you never give up.

50/50

2011-12-07T22:04:00.002+08:00

True story or not, this one has definitely got the upper hand in retelling and repainting what actually happened, though of course in exact truth, nothing can always be a 100%. Seth Rogen was plain marvelous as a supporting actor with Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing the role of a cancer-stricken, heart-broken melancholic furious survivor and fighter of life. True enough, such a compact and convoluted role could only be played out safe by an experienced actor, and this requires a lot of concentration and role-playing before you can actually adopt that characteristic to be believable enough. But our protagonist has gone way past that, he is just simply perfect for the role that he play. He is so into it that you would actually believe it to be true.

One marvelous film not to be missed. One masterpiece so crafted not to be wasted. Please watch this when you have the time or when you don't.

Movie Rating:- 9/10

Petaling Street Warriors

2011-12-03T20:00:00.004+08:00

Here's something to be proud of, yet another local film production which is unsurprisingly good and what's more, interestingly crafted. Like the recent Nasi Lemak 2.0, it carries with it the slightest of all trademarks to harboring subliminal messages which in a way, tickles many of those funny bones belonging to those who has been in line with the happenings recently in Malaysia. That aside, it also has its own action packed scenes as well as a good flow of talented characters.

Without revealing much, I've got to say that this is perhaps in line and in tune to what most people are thirsting for. Some really good drama and comedy combined with no strings attached. They really show what they mean and what they mean is loads of good clean humor.

Movie Rating:- 8/10

Something Borrowed

2011-12-02T21:48:00.003+08:00

Average film with a fairly predictable storyline. Some cheerful remarks would probably be on how things twirl around before the climax which is pretty much anticipated. It just takes a tad too long and windy before they give you the conclusion. Acting is good but not in overall, taken the fact of the screenplay.

Movie Rating:- 4/10

Touch of Death

2011-12-02T21:22:00.002+08:00

The jonahness has since restarted again. Each and every time I put on the blue shirt that is so comfy yet so dreadful, something would often happen. And none of them has been ever good. I recalled once when I had this same T shirt, I had 7 intubated cases in one night. The total of the day's intubated case nearly hit the number 10 and I woke up the next day finding out two more collapsed patients needing intubation in the early morning rounds. That was when the sharp decline of ventilators happened in the hospital.

There was yet another time when I donned this similar T-shirt during the EOD 1st calls that I had 48 patients in one day and the next 68 patients on the other day as referrals from the casualty. I was seeing cases after cases, making endless diagnosis and palpating abdomens and listening to the hearts and lungs till I nearly vomited. Yet, all of these were experience that I could be proud of that no other fellow colleagues could have ever gotten so much in one on call. Needless to say, I had to bluff to pride on my own jonah-ness. Something of which that I would say I loathe.

The T-shirt led me to the most referrals as well when I helmed one of the third calls, and to get 10 referrals for your knowledge is average. To get 15 is above average and to get 20 is almost rare. I had 24 that day. That was on top of two patients collapsing side by side to the best of my knowledge. That happened last year and is still sharply vivid in my mind. Sending patients to the mortuary is another story of striking contrast. Much of which that I hate to do, but there are just times when you couldn't help it. The most amount of death certs that I have ever signed during my calls for the past 3 years or so would be 6 and this has happened quite a few times. To get 2 is an average, to get 3 is already above average, to get 4 is something that is quite unheard of. And just last night, this thing had to happen again.

Two of my patients whom I have taken care of for quite some time had to develop complications during my on call. Taking care of 4 wards with the other 3 being quite relatively quiet except for later, the ward that I am in charge of, the particular cubicle that I am taking care of had to develop further problems that I had hope not to. Both patients had then collapsed almost simultaneously and right after I have done resuscitating them, one survived and the other sadly did not, another patient in another ward developed the same thing. Thankfully, my fellow colleague from another on call duty was around to lend a hand. Otherwise, I would have not known what else to do. In such circumstances, to have 4 colleagues on call at any one time in each day is a good thing after all, despite the fact that the number of calls would have gone up literally.

But that aside... I am definitely going to shred that blue shirt off soon. Pity though, it was so comfy wearing it around. I think I shall don my black T shirt on this Sunday's first call and cross my fingers. I hope the amount of referrals would dwindle to at least below 30 which is the typical average.

Infectious Disease Terminology

2011-11-29T19:40:00.002+08:00

I had my consultant, specialist and my fellow colleague broke into tears as I mentioned something that was relatively well-known to me which is totally foreign to them. And that happened today as I was doing rounds with them. I am currently attached to the infectious disease unit in my hospital and it has been a big honor to learn so much from them at such short period of time. Within the past month, I have seen and witnessed the variety of infections caused by the varied microbes and learned a lot on how to deal with them.

But as I was receiving a referral and then taking my bosses to see the case of ESBL Enterobactericeae clocaea, I uttered the word 'mersa' and to their awe, they had no idea as to what I was talking about. And when they do finally get the meaning of it, and on the way of laughing their hearts out, I described ESBL to them as Isabella to which I could have thought that the ceilings were going to fall. Well, I thought that this was quite common amongst ourselves as I managed CCU for the past 2 years or so. In fact, the staff nurses there were the ones who introduced such terminologies to me, and I thought that it was rather a common and understandable term until of course, when I mentioned it to my ID Physician and training specialist that I realized that they have never heard anything about it.

Of course, I didn't dare to utter the word MRO as 'marrow' as how I would often affectionately call it, otherwise, who'd knew... =P

Snoopy's Street Fair

2011-11-27T23:46:00.002+08:00

Recall your childhood? Found this game recently on the Facebook and was curious enough to dwell further by installing it onto my iPad device. Needless, to say, if you don't plan to get hooked on to something for a long period of time, then you should skip this altogether. However, if you are into Peanuts and the old ol' comics series which so often marvel you as a kid, then you should give this a shot. It could or could not keep you gaming on it depending on what your taste is like, but it could definitely guarantee in bringing you back the golden years of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Peppermint Patty, Linus and his blanket, Schroeder, Thibault, Sally Brown and many others. Come to think of it, I still have all 12 volumes of the Charlie Brown's 'Cyclopedia and the Snoopy mugs collection. Heck, I even have some of the Snoopy's toy model collection from McDonalds. It was once so popular back then, and if you are a fan collecting that, I don't see why you can't enjoy this.

As of now, this app is only available for Apple device holders. The picture above is taken from Snoopy's Street fair's Facebook account.

A Childish Surprise

2011-11-27T23:36:00.002+08:00

Back last month when I was taking my time wandering around in one of the malls in Malaysia eyeing my concentration totally on my iPad, I had one of these surprise that caught me unawares. As I was walking past one of the escalators leading down to the floor that I was on, a kid, probably around 9-10 years of age started to walk towards me. I thought that he was probably wanting to go to shop located just behind me and so I let it slide, but his attempts on walking towards me further crept me out. All of a sudden, without warning or whatsoever, he started to tug on my forearm with one of his hands while attempting to pull my iPad with his other free arm. I had heard of cases of robbery much to many extent coming in different forms and it didn't really come across my mind that it would be that of a kid. Sparking intent of curiosity, I raised my voice and shouted 'Eh, excuse me!' much to his still ignorance until his father yelled out to him to stop tugging at me.

Apparently, it was just a case of a kid who is curious enough or perhaps too intent enough to want to have a good look on what I was doing on my iPad. Perhaps, he was just being denied on an electronic device purchase as the floor that he came down from is one of those leading brands sale of electronic and electric devices. Whatever that is, I certainly felt taken aback with that sort of attitude and it is indeed uncalled for. Needless to say despite the fact that it could all be boiled down to the fact that it's just a curious kid, I would rather take this lesson and point out on the importance on being aware to whatever surroundings that you are in, no matter what. Don't be too focus on what you are doing until you forgo the fact that people may be eyeing at you and planning an attempt to cart away your hard earned valuables.

Cheerios!

Horrible Bosses

2011-11-27T23:12:00.002+08:00

One of those few good movies that I will recommend to you would be this title. Read it, remember it and purchase it as soon as you get the chance coz this one will really keep you glued onto the screens for its entire full length run. It has got some real good elements which puts it in top notch form and there ain't many films out there that could do this. The comedy is never dull and the chemistry between the actors were pure class with a lighter and softer side. There are no giving or misgivings in it and you'll definitely laugh your head off watching the scales and extent to what humans would actually do when pushed into the deep seated end of their relentless hope. Jennifer Aniston was raunchy in this new role and I have to say that Kevin Spacey was as cool as he gets with Colin Farrell playing the cachexic tool. The trio, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis were a good combination to go with and I fully concur with the director's pick in this laugh out loud dramedy.

Believe me this once, this clever film will entice you to no end.

Movie Rating:- 8/10

Suffolk House

2011-11-27T19:38:00.007+08:00

It must have been at least a good 10 years or so since I last laid eyes upon the Suffolk House. After all, the place is literally within a stone's throw away from our nearest classroom. It's been a sight for so many years back then that I've forgotten actually how frequent I would look out from the classroom to just take a glance of it in between the times when the teacher is getting bored. Yet, it wasn't a sight to behold as back then, the building was in such a ruin that it could be called a rubble. The magnificent part about it is that it once stood as one of the greatest buildings in Penang Island and it would then take years of restoration to make it look original and stand out from others.

I did hear about its restoration project several years after I left my school, but I didn't actually bothered to step foot to have a look at it probably due to the fact that I have already done so for nearly 5 years of my life. Not even when I captured the news that it is then fully restored a few years back and equipped with a fine dining restaurant. It did not move the extent of curiosity in me. I must say that had it not been for the dinner talk organized by Boehringer Ingelheim, I would never had stepped foot in this former awe.

I was glad I did and even grateful that I could step into a building that once I considered ruins. To rub it in, I even had a free dinner with compliments from the drug company and mind you, it is fine dining. Although I could literally rate the food as average-ish, the atmosphere coupled with the food itself should suffice to keep you coming back if you have the pockets to burn. Here are some of the pictures that I managed to take, after all, I didn't bring my camera. So these are pictures snapped from my iPad. They do have WiFi connections in there, one for the Suffolk House and the other from the Suffolk Restaurant. You have to inquire for the password though.

Puss in Boots

2011-11-26T11:08:00.003+08:00

You know what they say. When you spin a character out from a movie, you won't really get something great unless of course if you really know what your fans want or either that you are really very good in innovating a punch in the storyline. Puss is that spinout character from the much adored and much welcomed Shrek cartoon comedy that everyone knows pretty well about. They need to appear together otherwise there won't be an element to be thought of as complete. You just can't for example take out donkey without putting Shrek there for him to annoy. Likewise, that is how I felt about Puss despite the creators trying to insert new characters to complement his appearance in his first debut solo movie. And there is if I could count, an adequate amount of humor installed in this title however it somehow did not outshine better than the Shrek films nor did it create an impression for the fans for another installment to this episode. I left the cinema hoping that they won't make another one out of such or create the idea of having donkey next with his own movie. Everyone is running out of ideas...

Movie rating:- 4.5/10

Real Steel

2011-11-26T11:03:00.003+08:00

Doubt that the movie is all that great despite the fact that everyone has been giving the hype all about it. Felt that it was just another movie with a stereotypical story line and that there is nothing much to it rather than the expected. I've fairly watched much of this sort of movie with the uprising of an unsung hero. Couple that with a kid, and you'd get a somewhat adorable yet ''cute" or so to speak kind of atmosphere. I don't think an experience movie goer like me would fall for that. Somehow I get the feeling that this movie is clever enough to portray a strong element in it. Robots and wolverine... well at least there is something else to marvel at.

Movie rating:- 6/10

Immortals

2011-11-19T20:00:00.002+08:00

Unlike the varied action movies that you have encountered, which includes those tales of the past, the ancient costumes, designs and backdrops, this one has more than just that to offer. Now, if you've caught a glimpse of the 2006 movie, 300; where the famous imprints of 'This is Sparta' became legendary for Gerard Butler, you can expect something of that sort. The difference is perhaps the fact that we have gods in this movie to draw a line between humans and the immortals. Overall, despite the recent release of Thor in 3 D, this one did not fail to surprise and I have facts to backup that this movie is indeed one that would be desired about comparatively.

The film focuses solely on the ancient and one can rest assured that collaboration of differing timelines do not exist. The humans remain where they are, trained for perfection, skill and dexterity in whatever weapons they yield whereas their enemies are armed with heartless minds and spirits with the eagerness to gain supreme powers over their fellow humans. The gods remain neutral throughout, promising to grant the humans freewill in their decisions.

And so, we get Theseus, the mortal who is primed by Zeus himself to be prepared for the ultimate battle. Going against hundreds of thousands of enemies weren't the most you would want to expect, and this movie knows just that. It provides little but bizarre, gory enough scenes to keep you irked, yet it provides a solid screenplay to keep you running on your toes for more action. And in so, the 300 film's portrayal of piece-by-piece melee fight is not one that is a main feature here.

The mixture of such ingredients is what makes the film a beauty to admire, and that is a fact. The characters are well-built from scratch and the scenes are to die for. There is no love lost between the fights and you can very much forget about the piece of romance that each of such films would come with.

In summary, it's a no nonsense film that knows what to deliver and how to deliver. Go in with or without expectations if you wish, and you'll know what you thirst for as the credits roll. I do sincerely hope they come up with yet another sequel of more blade slashing action.

Movie Rating:- 8/10

Colombiana

2011-11-19T10:11:00.001+08:00

There are two ways to watching this movie, well at least from my point of view. One perhaps is for the action that every thriller-hunger fans are dying for and the other would probably be for the fact of this femme fatale. Otherwise, much of the idea stays about the same and you could briefly describe it in one or a few sentences depending on what you would want to express. Cataleya is a trained killer from young as she would have wanted after witnessing her parents shooting. The rest is pretty quite predictable then.

I was there for the femme fatale. And maybe a bit of the action...

Movie Rating:- 6/10

The Adventures of Tintin 3 D

2011-11-18T17:39:00.002+08:00

Had the chance to sneak a few days off to watch this over at Star Screen Cinemas. The production by Steven Spielberg alone is adequate to get me hooked and there was never a single chance in the world that I would miss this out. My expectations were high as I recalled back those years in secondary school where I would sit in the library reading the comics. In fact, it started out as an interest, which then slowly became an addiction.

The first, and I do hope that more will follow suit the adventures of Tintin, was a great introduction with an awesome flow of story line and just right enough action packed in it to keep the arduous fans satisfied. Of course, this calls for much of the returns of the Thomson and Thompson twins and as bewildering as they look plus Captain Haddock, the introductory character. I had no qualms with how the movie is run or how the screenplay is adjusted for as long as the film has its essence in bringing the comic Tintin to live and Snowy to perilous fun.

Fans should watch it, curious fence sitters should give it a go, and those who have no idea on what Tintin is about, you'd find yourself hooked in no time.

Movie Rating:- 8.5/10

Monte Carlo (Film)

2011-11-05T22:48:00.002+08:00

Well, I would sum it up as an average chic-flick. Watched this in CD with my girlfriend and I thought that the acting were fair in its scenes. Expect the obvious that you would sort of least anticipate it in all of these group of movie genres. But introducing Selena Gomez in the film proper was a good start in kicking off her acting career. Somehow, the script was fairly enjoyable though of course, I think it would best be suited to certain group of certain age range. I think my principles of watching this film may have been misconstrued but I stand my grounds of having lateral thinking in all sorts of films. =)

Movie Rating:- 4/10

Pre Medical Posting

2011-11-05T15:30:00.002+08:00

I recall well the last time I left Medical Posting. I was back then, a house officer. It was my first posting and I was given the opportunity for as long as 2 months to serve in the old hospital. As it is, the old hospital, as many fellow colleagues have come to know, is haphazard and extremely busy. There is no stoppage to the amount of patients getting admitted and the turnover rate can be rapidly hectic. One just have to keep up to date with all the things that are ongoing and keep heads up with what will be changing time after. I recall vividly too my first day and my first week and subsequently my first month as a house officer in the female ward as well as the days of doing on calls. There were back then nearly 30 patients in my row, and during the bad days, this can shoot up to 60 patients in one ward should my colleague decide to take leave. The ward has no limits as it is as big as a multipurpose hall and one can just keep on extending non stop to the designated beds. I remembered that I nearly broke apart into pieces and decided to call it quits. Somehow, something in me kept me persistent and this desire which lighted up in me kept me going through. Life was getting even more harsh as I entered the old wing of the nephrology ward but even then there was no turning back. I pushed on further until we moved into the new hospital, until my medical posting came to an end, until I completed subsequently 3 more postings as a house officer before being promoted into medical officer-ship.

Three years later, after spending that amount of time in cardiology and doing medical on calls as a medical officer, I found that I have been resting my laurels too much. Of course, being in cardiology is a good thing. I picked up a lot of skills, such as that of polishing up my knowledge on the ECG, going in depth into the interpretation of ECG and correlating it with the clinical skills I practice day in and day out. I also picked up on interpreting exercise stress test, holter monitoring, temporary pacemaker insertion and latest, the skill of doing echocardiography in detail. I pride myself on this knowledge but I have to admit that I am far beyond my capabilities in medical posting. I passed exams just by theoretical knowledge, and it is time that I need to put them into practical and clinical use.

So thus, I will be spending 4 months in total starting this November until the end of February next year in the general medical posting. I will thus be resting my cardiology knowledge and picking up a greater amount of knowledge, as vast as necessary with that of infectious disease, neurology, rheumatology, gastrointestinal and hepatology, hematology and chest medicine. What would be lacking thus would be nephrology, but having the responsibility to attend the dialysis, transplant and general nephrology clinic every once in a while would help me buck up my knowledge in talking to and examining these patients. Most of these are long history back in my houseman years.

Sigh... I just hope that I could cope up with all of these vast knowledge that I need to ingest over the next 4 months.

God help me!

1MCA Voluntary Healthcare Screening

2011-10-29T09:08:00.001+08:00

So I was asked just this Tuesday to be part of the healthcare screening team for the community in Taman Intan over at Jalan Datuk Kumbar which was held yesterday. Since I was 2nd call then, I was given the task to go there to do the honor. Little that I know that I was going to be the only doctor around coz I was hoping for at least a few more from the health clinic. But somehow, that didn't happen and I ended up having to see a hundred patients. The screening lasted from 8.30 am till 1.30 pm and as best I could, I tried to organize my thoughts quickly and wrap up conversations with the patients by giving them clear cut tips and hints on their weight. Much that I see as a problem in the near future within the community would still be the issue of being overweight and obese, with some even lingering between the range of morbid obesity. There are only a handful of those who are within the ideal range and perhaps 1 or 2 categorized under the underweight range. A bulk or diabetics, hypertensives and are taking medications for hypercholesterolemia while there are a few who have already gone through bypass surgeries and stentings.

Yet again, I can't stress enough the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle. After having chit-chats with the patients that I see, it is enough to keep me glued to the idea that taking grains, oats, wheats, barley and high fiber food and fruits/vegetables is not a very easy thing. Especially when you have to only boil, broil, steam and grill it. So of course, the summary would still be the fact that one should not fry their food too much. Take only good fats such as those of the deep sea fishes (salmon, mackerels, tuna, cod, herring and trout) and supplement yourself with high levels of vitamin C as well as taking in a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day.

Stay healthy! It's perhaps the next best thing that you can do and control other than gaining wealth. Or you could just perhaps remember the fact that being healthy is wealthy but becoming wealthy is not necessarily translated to being healthy. =)

ECG Presentation

2011-10-29T09:04:00.003+08:00

Been wanting to post this up for quite some time now. Just that I got the pix on my iPad firsthand and have no idea on how to transfer the pictures into my desktop coz there were some problems in uploading the pictures directly onto blogger. Didn't thought of emailing those pictures to my own email account until the past few days. Must have been the dawn of the century... either that or my neurons aren't functioning as it used to be...

So I gave my first ever HO CME talk on ECG months back... Wasn't a great turnout but hope that whoever did turn up manage to grasp the basic essential tools on how to maneuver your way through in interpreting the ECG based on the 5x5 rule.

Life As It Is...

2011-10-26T23:06:00.003+08:00

It was certainly bad news when I got home the other day on the evening of 13th Oct 2011. I had just traveled by car from Alor Star to Penang and was about to lug my stuffs into my Penang home when my father announce the news to me. Being the fact that I was post call, I had the notion not to believe that it is true. But reality sank in when all circumstances added up. It was an uncle from my church whom we are all fond of. A very good friend to my mother and her church going friends, they form a clique that is hard to break and a bond so strong that no element in this world could have cut it in half. It was indeed heavy news to accept his passing even though his deteriorating health has been dragging on for the past one month or so.

In terms of such, even as a doctor, these circumstances comes as a shock. There is in no way that life can just be snuffed out in all of a sudden. Especially to a person who is so kind-hearted and good-willed. A servant of God, he is indeed a man of brilliance and an exceptional Christ-follower. My connection with him came when I was first posted to Alor Star for the start of housemanship. I recalled vividly back in early June 2007 when he escorted my parents and I, together with another small group of friends there. He made time when he knew that we had difficulty in finding the place and he helped us relentlessly.

He helped us clean the place that I was suppose to stay in momentarily for 2 months and he took us around the whole town of Alor Star explaining to us the various places that I will be going to very soon. His knowledge of the town was so vast and detailed that I will never forget about the place that he took us around in. It is up till now that I recalled vividly the places that he showed. We were never lost when he was there and we even get to sample some famous delicacies with his help. From Lebuhraya Darul Aman to Jalan Gangsa, and then to Pekan Rabu as well as Jalan Teluk Wanjah; these were some of the many places that he directed me around.

Other forms of assistance that he rendered would later include the aid in purchasing a car for me. With his help, the insurance and the process of getting the car was done at a speed which is unlike many would have expected it to be. He later rendered his help in finding out places for my colleagues and I to rent as we were given the notice to leave the hostel premises. There are of course many other help that he freely give as what Jesus would do to all. He is truly a servant of God in many's eyes, to those who know him and to those who have grown fondly of him as well as to the strangers who crosses his path. His neverending offer to help out those in need has marveled me in many ways. In fact, it is with hope that many would be like him for one to typify his example is so difficult nowadays.

In whatever there is, your hard work has surely paid off as we all do appreciate your kindness and helpfulness. We will surely miss your presence without a doubt, particularly for me, as indeed you have left a small but significant mark in my path of life. You remind me of Christ's unconditional love, and perhaps this is why God put you in my journey through life. To remind me that love must be given out unconditionally.

R.I.P Uncle Ong.

First Time on a Ferry

2011-10-26T19:24:00.002+08:00

While back from Cameron Highlands, the van decided to stop us over at the Butterworth terminal as they wanted to continue their journey up ahead to Kuala Kedah which explains the fact that they didn't want to cross the bridge onto the island. Hence, this marks my first ever trip traveling between the mainland and the island via the ferry. Come to think of it, it has always been the bridge that I've used. I was literally stuck all the time in the island as I grew up and traveling has then been a norm to use something with wheels.

With relation to the title, this is not my first time on a ferry, but my first time on a ferry traveling from Butterworth to Penang Island. I've taken ferries across to Langkawi Island and back then when I was holidaying in Hong Kong when I was a small kid.

Of course, I did take the liberty to snap some memorable photographs but due to the fact that my holiday is going to be over soon and life is going to be an ordeal back again from all those hefty workloads, I don't think I made much of an effort after all... Anywayz, it was an experience altogether =)

2 Separate Incidents

2011-10-26T18:55:00.003+08:00

Perhaps one of the worst thing that would have occurred to you on a busy day; as a doctor, would be to meet up with patients who just simply loves to talk. I wouldn't really mind if there was a long period of time and that I am in the pink of my health, I would just literally talk to him/her until the cows come home, coz I'm pretty good in that. But this would of course not be right should it be done in the setting when everyone is busy. I had two bad calls the other day and I just had to bring up the issue all over again coz of the fact that I was literally overwhelmed by all circumstances.

I met this patient who was seen by the casualty doctors for hypoglycemia. Without a doubt, patients would necessitate admission for glucose monitoring and parenteral glucose replacement until they can take their own meals. This is vital coz oral antidiabetic agents take some time to clear out of the system and hence risking another possibility of hypoglycemia. The patient that I saw however was clearly on his right mind at the moment. He was resuscitated in the usual manner and he was literally well. Seeing that the wards is packed to the brim and that there is no way that he will get admitted in time as there are at least a dozen and a half more patients awaiting admission, he requested to be discharged at his own risk.

Usually, there wouldn't be much of a problem. I would educate them of the possible events that would entail and the measures they have to safeguard before allowing them home and giving them an earlier date to be seen in the clinic just so to ensure their wellbeing. What meant to be only a 10 minute consultation ended up to at least half an hour to 45 minutes because this wonderful patient started to tell me more than the usual.

I had another brief encounter the following day when I was post-call in the clinic. I was definitely not in the mood to please anyone coz I haven't gotten any sleep for more than 27 hours and is cranky up to the limits. I was about to explode literally, but somehow, I kept my cool by telling myself that all of this would be over soon. It did, but not on a good note. I had another patient who talks abruptly and excessively and kept pressuring me to answer all of his questions to which he put them in an ascending speed. There is in no way that I could match that sort of fireball questions although I did try my very best but of course with a bit of a slowness. Coupled with the sore throat, and the flu that I am having, it was definitely not a great scene. That nearly took my top off but somehow in some way, I managed to keep my cool by explaining in great detail to him about what is to be done. Of course, it didn't help much as it was a complicated case that needed referral to another center.

But I could feel God working in me during that time as I calmly tell the patient what he needs to do and what I will be doing for him. I got his referral done within a nick of time and settled his issue without requiring further queries.

Sigh... as I sat down that day and rest my head on the pillow, I could just not think about anything else, but dreamland...

What a life...

Immunity Crashes

2011-10-25T20:42:00.004+08:00

No matter how strong you are, no matter how much Vitamin C you stock up in your system, nothing beats the relentless efforts in seeing multitudes of patients who just comes in with various sort of illnesses. Sometimes I am just beginning to feel overwhelmed by these ever huge increase in demand to be seen immediately. How gracious it is for the new house officers to graduate and join the ever reducing population of medical officers who will be more than happy to share the grave burden and workload with them. If they think that they can escape one second of difficult life that is to come forward, they can literally kiss that hopes goodbye. More and more work are being invented just to torture the miserables although you do get to learn rapidly over the days of hardwork... but for what? For more hardwork...

What an ordeal... =/

Besides, I had to stand in three days of clinic just this week with a depressed immune system. Having a bad viral URTI itself necessitates most to go home and rest it out but we had to still slug it out our system to get things done just for the fact that we are hugely committed to what we do. Sigh... sometimes I just feel the increasing need to take off for just one month, if that is even possible, to just reflect on life and what has come thus far... I am just getting more and more tired physically.

Bad Ass Calls

2011-10-24T18:58:00.002+08:00

They say that prior to going on a good holiday, your work accumulates, sustains and then just before you go off, it crashes into a halt where you would often find yourself having fits regarding the impossibilities of finishing your work. Then after a good holiday, you would come back to heaps of just near impossible work all over again. This is so typical of my recent on calls dating back on just this last Thursday and then on a Saturday. Both days saw me working my butt off on an active medical call in the emergency admitting unit. There were cascades of casualties one after another and the weather per se didn't even do justice but to throng those who has asthma and COPDs into the casualty non stop. The first day itself had me seeing around 40-50 cases throughout the day which is around my average but the second on call day made me push my numbers nearly towards 70. Had it been a few more, I would have guess that my brain would have cracked from all those exhaustive thinking as well as I would be next on the list in the casualty receiving end. Life's not even a relief when I start my following day's work as one of the patients that I admitted developed ventricular tachycardia which necessitate an almost up to an hour of active resuscitation. The clinic thereafter was heavy and I tried to take some time off to doze off for a few but I guess I just didn't have the heart to. Ended up with a Glasgow Coma Scale of only 3/15 when I finally staggered home, open the door and fell heads on to the bed without waking up until the following day.

Sigh... so to those who think they can handle something like internal medicine with a glimpse of jonahness being crowned on you... better think again!

Cameron Highlands Time Tunnel Museum

2011-10-19T19:16:00.008+08:00

One of the more interesting places in Cameron Highlands and a must see attraction would be this time tunnel museum which offers an assortment of not-so-ancient collection back from the 60s all the way to the 90s. And if you are born within that era, you would, and should be able to appreciate all the things that are kept there. It would indeed bring back memories of the past and like many comments where I've read on blog and travel entries, it is like a road down memory lane.

Located just after Equatorial Hotel (15-20 minutes walking distance) and before Brinchang, you are bound to note the big sign that greets you just several meters away from the location itself. Adult entry is RM 5 while kids are charged less. I can't recall how much the latter is but I doubt kids would be able to agree with what is in store inside. Due to the rapid change of nintendonization, internet technology and the various sophisticated gadgets, the stuffs in the museum would probably bring about the act of doubt and the surprised look on your kids; asking you specifically what in the world were you thinking of using those things.

LoL!

Anywayz, I shall let the pictures do the talking. For people like me who were brought up back in the early 90s; I could say that all these things do signify something interesting in my life... rhetorically speaking. So while there, take your time and explore through the intricate details that took pain and hardwork in putting it all together.

Some of the notices back in the World War 2 era during the Japanese occupation.

Some tools used way back in the 80s and 90s. FYI, that wooden like gadget is a stool meant for babies. Some of us still have that around.

The rocking horse which is ages old. Apparently, I've never seen such a rocking horse before when I grew up. Probably attributed to the fact that I'm not much of a fan of these sort of play thing =P But nevertheless, it is still an awe to be able to appreciate what we or at least our parents and grandparents grew up with. Those days, things were little and gadgets albeit had to be come about by home-made skills. It's a wonder that these things still lasts after so many decades.

The few things here that brings back memory would be the small rectangular electronic game in black and white which I am an avid player of. The other is of course the famed mortar and pestle which we still do use up till now for 'punching' belachan. LMAO! Aside from that, I have not much of an idea of what the other gadgets have to offer.

You'd be surprise that this sorta grandmother clock is still being used up till now and so is the ice kacang machine which is still seen (although rarely) nowadays as some people believes in the old tradition grinding which makes the flavor original.

Ahh yes... I doubt I'd dare to open the tube and squeeze whatever that is inside and see what it has to offer. This goes to show how long these toothpaste has been around and it is an indeed a huge surprise that it is still fully equipped.

Steamboat Dinner at Cameron Highlands

2011-10-17T16:13:00.004+08:00

This must have been the hallmark of the trip to Cameron Highlands. Of the four nights there, we had steamboat twice and they were both at different places. The one located just within the surroundings of the hotel is Weng Xiu restaurant. It serves a variety of budget meals as well as shared dishes. Their specialty like many in Cameron Highlands is in serving steamboats. Priced at RM 17 per pax (to which I believe is the same for most areas) I'd say it is a good deal considering the amount of delicacies they have to offer. However if you think that this is just that, our second attempt on another restaurant which goes by the name of Jin Jin restaurant was even well more worth it. Priced similarly, we felt that the amount as more and the servings were even more generous. We had more fish, more fish balls and a wider variety of vegetables which you can see from the photographs. And to further rub it in, the latter restaurant even has free Wifi without a password. Boy, am I just glad to have brought along my iPad to keep me entertained just before food is served. I'd definitely recommend this one if you are staying around that area.

Having steamboat in such a cooling evening was indeed a welcome treat for many and I for one am glad to have that chance of enjoying Cameron Highlands as it was meant to be.

NB: The Jin Jin restaurant is located further away from the hotel, but is within walking distance. I'd put it as an average of half a dozen's stones throw away from the hotel.

Strawberry Picking in Cameron Highlands

2011-10-17T16:12:00.004+08:00

Upon reaching the hotel and with dear2's symposium yet to start until the following day, we decided to have ourselves a quick lunch before inching towards whatever there is within walking distance. It wasn't long before we noticed one of such strawberry farms which offer self picking services nearby. We didn't have much experience with the pricing of these precious berries yet so it was more of a trial and error. And besides, it was a one time experience being involved in the strawberry plucking sensation.

The entry is priced at RM 20 and you are provided with a polystyrene tray which could easily accommodate 500 grams of berries in it. Should you take anything extra, you would thus have to pay accordingly. Their asking price is RM 40 per kg, so I would easily say that they charge RM 4 per 100 grams. We later found out that for such a quantity of strawberries, you could get it cheaper in the nearby fruits and vegetable market. We would later find ourselves purchasing non stop from the similar stall. That is to say, 3 big packets of strawberries for only a sum of RM 10. To say the least, this could easily weigh more than 500 grams and is certainly more worth it.

Nevertheless, the experience of picking your own strawberries is quite interesting, although not as fun as anticipated. The farm we went planted their strawberries on a sharp incline and so if you don't watch yourself, you may end up squirting your own strawbloody sauce all over the patch.

Perhaps what is more interesting is the taste of freshly squeezed strawberry milk shake, fresh strawberry juice without any artificial preservatives or additional sugar and as well as strawberry lassi. You can get this almost anywhere on a strawberry farm, but we had ours during the tour in Raaju's strawberry farm. This patch of farm is located opposite the hotel's main entrance. They even sell their own strawberry chocolate which costs RM 3.50 per box. Buying three of these would put you at RM 10.

Selling strawberry products is a breeze in Cameron Highlands as you can see how fast these things are snapped up right off the counter thanks to the gracious amount of sweet tooth around. LOL!

Cameron Highlands Trail

2011-10-17T16:11:00.007+08:00

It can be quite boring if you are left all alone without much to do in a hilltop hotel and so it was decided upon that I should do some walking. Coming to think about it later, although it was a tremendous task that I could brag about it later, it was indeed one heck of a reckless thought. I have no idea where that idea came from to say the least, but whatever it is, it's done and here I am bragging about it in my blog so that I could reference it again at a later date. Well, I don't get much medals in my life to bite on, so it's no surprise if I choose to give myself some to chew on.

Being a fan of charting down navigation, I researched the net on how far it would take me to travel from Kea farm, where the Equatorial Hotel is located to Tanah Rata and it didn't take me long after several sources put the figure at 5.4 km. Even my personal GPS that I brought along with me seemed to agree with that figure. On our third day in Cameron Highlands, I ventured out early at 8 am when the weather was still very chilly. I had a heavy breakfast in the morning to start out with of course and my dear2 will be occupied the whole day with her seminars and lectures, and so it is up to me to make or break records.

Here are some of the pictures that I take along the way to show that piece of evidence that I did my fair bit of walking. Firstly, you can't take these photos from a moving vehicle, secondly you can hire a taxi, but I don't think they would stop at these places for you to snap photos and lastly, only an insane guy would select these places to snap pictures from. The journey was rather arduous though adventurous. It was filled with uphill and downhill slopes, sharp bends, dangerous swerves where vehicles are traveling alongside you separated by half arm's length and of course the smoke puffed out from the vehicles which you have to inhale every once in a while.

It did cross my mind after the nearly 2 hours walk that I had wanted to hail a cab to get back to the hotel, but again, an insane idea clouded over my mind (I would have guessed it was all because of mental exhaustion but I could never know for sure). After little thought, it was decided that I walk all the way back to the hotel after suffering from some discomfort over at my ankle. Talking about 10,000 steps or paces a day, I think I have neatly quadrupled that amount in just 1/12th of the day. LMAO!

The journey back took about the same amount of duration although it was slightly faster as I doubled up my walk just to make it for lunch with dear2. It was a relief when I started seeing signs leading to the hotel later on. It had taken me a good 3h 45m walk altogether with a pace of between 5-6 km/h (calculated with my GPS) in average.

The crazy thing is that i went for an hour's swim after that 11km walking stint, and another one more hour on the following day. My ankle started to cry out in pain but I didn't bother, it was a sign of success, but when it progressed to my butt the next day, I decided to take it down a little coz even right now as a type this entry, I could still feel those pain on both cheeks. LMAO! All the drivers who passed me by on Cameron must have thought that I have gone nuts.

The beginning of the trail that marks the 5.4 km journey. This is just after the Kea Farm Fruit and Vegetable market.

...and this is the other view, the forward view I'd like to put it...

The trail would then lead me on to Cactus Point, take a downward spin and turn until I reach this mile block telling me that Tanah Rata is approximately 7 km away. It could well be miles, but my charted course is just 5.5 km. I'm not that eager to break my joints just for a longer section. That would require a longer training stint before I can take on that challenge =)

This part is just past the Time Tunnel Museum...

...and a little further up heading towards Brinchang, you can see this farmhouse arcade which sells loads of fruit products, and particularly; prominently strawberries!

The town of Brinchang, one of the few prominent towns in Cameron Highlands, this is a smaller part of it.

It's all downslope from here as you hike your way down across the town. And it barely took me 15 minutes to walk from one stretch of the town to the other end.

...just after Brinchang, you will be greeted by several hotels, lodges and inns...

...just like the above...

...of course there were many more, but I decided to snap only a few of it at the risk of getting knock down by moving vehicles. It was a sigh of relief when I finally reached the town of Tanah Rata, but another big sigh of challenge as I trot my way back to the Equatorial Hotel. That's almost 11 km and I nearly could have collapsed have it not been for the scrumptious lunch waiting for me, thanks to the symposium =P

Cameron Highlands Trip

2011-10-17T16:10:00.003+08:00

This was the very first time that I stepped foot on Cameron Highlands and I have to say that the experience was a marvelous one. The thing about this place, unlike the ones that I have been in recently is the desirably cool weather which instantly elevates my mood to a better one. I was immediately transformed into a much more docile person compared tothe normal grouchy self.

Without a doubt, I would if given another chance, return to this wonderful place in the near future. After all, there are many more places that I have yet to visit. There are many things to talk about wit regards to Cameron Highlands and to elaborate on all of this would take a rather long time maximizing the chances of missing certain important elements out. This would not be ideal in a tourist's sight, so what I will be doing rather, is to share with you what I did there rather than taking the pain in defining what Cameron Highlands is all about.

We arrived on the 13th October where the weather was chilly and damp. It was a sight to behold especially that of the mist. Hailing from a place of the lowlands, to witness this natural event was one that is far-fetched and rare. The moment we alighted the tourist van, we were greeted by the cool breeze and the brilliant chilly wind. It just got straight to my reflexes to pull out my wind-jacket to put it on to prevent my 'vital' areas from shrinking to the size of a raisin if you'd get what I mean.

With rather limited experience on how cold these places are save from the travel to Genting Highlands approximately 7 years back, I always find these sort of thing an awe to marvel at. We took to the registration counter in the Equatorial Hotel and the process of checking in was quick, to say the least. At one glance, you'd know this isn't comparable with the ones in KL but nonetheless to be given free accommodation and food while staying there is one thing not to complain about. LoL.

The rooms were adequate missing only the safe box, the free Internet wifi connection, the bathtub (meant for long bath) and of course a personal iron. Perhaps the management could look into this for future room improvements? But overall, you have all the basic necessities and the iron with the ironing board is located near the swimming pool for hotel guests so this wasn't really something to be of a problem. Internet access however is not free and ou have to pay around RM 30 for a full day use, which led me to skip that part. My dear2 however was part of the delegates in a psychiatry symposium and during that time, I was able to sneak the connection with my iPad for online usage but I guess they'd discover that the following day coz I can't seem to connect to the wifi after that. Pity!

The Equatorial Hotel does have a indoor swimming pool, sheltered and properly maintained within the desired temperature range for hotel guests to enjoy and I did as a matter of fact used the oil for three consecutive days throughout my stay there. It's ideal depth of four feet is good for amateurs like me who needs a backup plan should I tire out from the rigorous swimming. Then it would just involve me walking in the water. LMAO! The pool is located on level 5 whereas the gym is located on level 4. I didn't really use the gym coz one have to register at the main desk prior to use. Was a bit too lazy for that so I ended up working out in the pool. From outside, you can see that the gym is quite self-sufficient. It's not fully equipped but it's adequate for vacation use.

Buffet breakfast is in the coffee shop restaurant, next to the cricket lounge. Don't expect too much from it if you're planning to eat there but I would describe the variety of food as alright. The taste is good and anything that has to do with fruits and vegetables served were at it's peak whereas the others were average. Just go for what it's good for if you're a connoisseur, but if you are a glutton like me, then you are left with a little to complain about lest the variety and quantity though. There is a Chinese restaurant at level 2 with a sing-a-lot karaoke lounge that we didn't fancy going so comments would be left out here. The lobby has a game corner with video games, foosball, pool bars and board games for rent. Instinctively, it's meant for the younger generations who has nothing much else to desire for if they are not really interested in fruits, flowers, cactuses, vegetables, bees and honey, tea as well as insects.

The location of the hotel is indeed ideal as many interesting tourist spot are within walking distance. It is surrounded by several Chinese restaurants, two strawberry farms which offers self picking, a fruit and vegetable market as well as butterfly, insects and bee farms. Even the Palas tea plantation is just around the corner. And if you are wondering what company owns the tea plantation, it's our famous Scottish Boh tea company.

I'll elaborate on those experience later on... but for now, I think I shall let my mind wander back to the misty area again. Ahhh... wouldn't it be just wonderful if the whole of Malaysia is just this cold? =)

First Trip to Cameron Highlands

2011-10-10T14:18:00.003+08:00

At long last. I guess this must have been it... and with the trip ear-marked this time around, this would leave me with the only place of Fraser's Hill being the last of the three coldest place in the peninsular that I have yet to visit.

The Whistleblower

2011-10-08T10:58:00.001+08:00

A true story of what really happened in post war Bosnia. It paints a grim but realistic picture on the occurrence of what some would claim to be disgusting and inhumane. Rachel Weisz, as natural as she is, was superbly fitted into the portrayal of Kathryn Bolkovac. With so many parts on reality, one could just ponder and awe on the gist of the film that it offered. The main points were subjectively covered and just adequate to give the film an enormous applause.

Movie Rating:- 7/10

World Heart Day 2011

2011-10-03T23:29:00.003+08:00

This time around after 4 years since the inception of the cardiology department, we finally decided to get the annual event organized outside the hospital per se to gain more crowd and disseminate health issues related to the heart to the public. The turnout was so good that it beat the Digi booths which was setup directly in front of us. With the multidisciplinary team of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dietitian, pharmacists and rehabilitation physicians, we put up (and I must admit) a rather good show as there were slightly over 200 who signed up for the blood glucose and cholesterol screening. This is in a way, an exciting event but for me, I was rather glad that I picked up at least 4-5 patients who had no idea that they were diabetic, hypertensive or had a high cholesterol of more than 8. This sets a netting to grab hold of these group of patients and send them to the nearest district clinic within the shortest time frame to be assessed further and to initiate treatment early.

Being a senior cardiology medical officer and 4 years running in the department, I must say we have come a long way from its inception. From angiography to angioplasty and various other cool modalities and intervention done successfully, we are one small team with indeed a big heart! =)

Super (Film)

2011-10-03T18:32:00.002+08:00

If you happen to just cross by this title, you would definitely not have gotten it until someone recommended it to you. Well, here I am doing the recommendation for those bizarre enough to explore the intrinsic depth of what the subconscious can do to the conscious mind. I thought that the movie had its all from the beginning through the end and it didn't have to rely heavily on the superior and much used CGIs so to speak. What you see is what that is real and that projection of a mind that is overly abused with an inferiority complex.

Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page did an amazing job portraying their casts and it was a marvel watching the real 'superhero' deal although you have to admit that it can get a way bit off at times. There is some element that may mimic the famous Quentin Tarantino's production which makes you wanna puke at certain scenes with all those gory graphic scenes, yet these are classified into milder degrees of such extremes.

Perhaps what made me interested in this film is the way the script carries itself and how our main protagonist did so well in portraying the cast so naturally. Forget about the fake masks and capes or those unbelievably epic and extraordinary superpowers that superheroes normally have, coz our Crimson Bolt is plainly dressed in an absurd homemade costume armed with a pipe wrench which will guarantee you a full blown intracranial hemorrhage!

Movie Rating:- 7/10

I Want To Be A Soldier

2011-10-01T22:37:00.003+08:00

If you're gamed for a wannabe portrayal of violence and abuse with some degree of child neglect, then this movie would probably be your cup of tea. I picked this title up not because of reviews, but purely out of curiosity with regards on how the storyline would be run. And to my amazement, the points that it try to convey was quite relevant considering with regards to our current social standing in the youthful community. What I don't get is perhaps the movie was run too haphazardly to involve too few character development in it.

But all in all, it was an effort... and I have to admit that at one point of time, the kid did strike a bold enough pose to deliver his point of violence and partake in his diet routine of criminology, just that the way it was done was rather, too dramatic I suppose.

Movie Rating:- 5/10

W.T.F

2011-10-01T18:47:00.003+08:00

I find this pretty amusing, and as amusing as it may have seemed to be, it is almost, at its nature, somewhat realistic for those who have to slog it out at work. And as for me, I do sort of understand this in its term as I am too part of the many victims who is subjected to the unpleasant circumstances of having to slog. =P

Bad Teacher

2011-09-30T23:40:00.003+08:00

Cameron Diaz hits back with quite a boom in this return film after her role in The Green Hornet as a love interest. Although it won't reach many critics to give a good enough recommendation, still it is fun enough to watch our main protagonist's expression in each disaster and epic fail that comes with the script. Personal opinion on the table, I would place Diaz as a favorite and perfect role for this bad teacher job. She could just blend in well with all the description required of her, one hot and stoned blonde who despises her job and kids as well as getting recently dumped from a relationship whom she parasitically draws her cash and materials from. Putting that transcript into place, you've got a desperate hottie aiming for the sky but really, just isn't that ready to do all the work.

Movie Rating:- 6/10

Just Go With It

2011-09-30T22:41:00.004+08:00

The truth about it is very much the same about how the title describes it. I wouldn't actually put my thumbs down by saying this movie is bad, but I wouldn't recommend it as a must watch either. In whichever way it is, the movie could be rated as quite entertaining. It would probably tickle your bones and give you a few laughs here and there as you spend your time reeling in the antics of Adam Sandler. And besides, Jennifer Aniston was a perfect complement for the film with quite a wonderful touch in it that gives the movie a balance all in all.

Nothing much has changed since he started his acting career and as well as since I started watching him about 1o years back. He has always put up a good show entertaining his fans and this is done quite relatively well.

Movie Rating:- 6/10

Everything Must Go

2011-09-25T20:54:00.002+08:00

One of the most brilliant stories with an ambiguous ending, depending on how you would see it or like it to end. It contains a whole lot of thinking to do as well as self reflection with a touch of humor. Of course, no one else could have done it better than the likes and face of Will Ferrell. The chemistry between the actors were given a touch of reality and the portrayal of it must have been so similar to the book by just witnessing the film. Having said that, well, I haven't actually read the book, but the convincing nature of the director was good enough to relive the reading experience.

Even the junior actor, Christopher Wallace who plays Kenny Loftus was a skill out there to adore. This debut movie must have been a definite boost to his acting start, having been paired with seasoned actor Ferrell. The movie also portrays the serious side of him with a footnote that it certainly delivers.

The recommendation would go out to those who longs for some soul searching with a lighter touch. But whatever that is, the movie did earn my favor of a good rating.

Movie Rating:- 7/10

A Beefy Issue

2011-09-25T14:41:00.003+08:00

Is there such an issue after all? Or does one actually exist? A patient approached me with this question in clinic by posing me this question to which I would believe it as one nutter to crack. His concerns were that of cows being high in cholesterol. His rationale as that since cows were herbivores, why would consuming them lead to a high level of cholesterol.

Simply put, this would sound hilarious but it is actually one concern that is hard to address. If you were to ask deeper into the concerns of the patient, you would find that he loves his beef and does not intend to stop taking it anytime soon. Another question dug deeper would be how he consumes them and it's not that tough to relate as to why his cholesterol is still high despite the fact that he is taking his statins. Beef rendang is his favorite timer and his other methods of cooking it would be beef curry. He would even slice these up and fry them if he would for the above understanding that cholesterol wouldn't have come from a herbivore.

After exploring the clear cut problem which lies in the methodology of cooking and as all mammals are built of cholesterol, you could find that his expression is that of a newfound knowledge which is indeed difficult to comprehend as he has been fixated with such knowledge for years. Beliefs as this is clearly one, needs to be tackled deep down through proper history taking and how the patient feels about it or what he knows about it before slowly intending to dispel them. It takes into account the patient's understandings and their feelings as well. Communication is one hard thing to do, but nevertheless rewarding if you are able to resolve an issue that is considered life-changing for the patient.

Tips on Losing Weight - Jogging

2011-09-19T18:44:00.005+08:00

There are many cardiovascular exercises out there and by the meaning of cardiovascular exercises, it brings forth the understanding of any means of movements that increases your heart rate, maintains it there for a period of time (depending on how vigorous you are) before it slowly decelerates to the baseline form. One of the many exercises that I partake in is jogging aside from marathon and running. Jogging is one of the best forms of cardiovascular exercises out there if you ask many. It requires only a good set of shoes as well as a good set of clothing to go with it. Described as one of the cheapest form of exercises available out there, you could also be assured of a definite increase in your stamina as well as a decrease of your baseline heart rate and blood pressure. Besides, it, like many exercises out there reduces your risk of coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and stroke. Think of it as a good trade for a life worth living towards the golden years. We wanna be healthy and fit for as long as we want to.

Talking about jogging. Anytime is a good time for this sporting endeavor. In fact, one of the best times of doing it is when you feel like it. This involves a lot of push factor and it is best done when you have the form and the desire to. This has to come daily if you would. Whenever the push factor overrides, you should not wait to pick up those set of shoes and put on the outfit to get yourself moving. I find running with a set of hyped up music stimulating and adrenaline-gushing. These are accessories where you can pack on during your run to encourage you to keep up.

I shall dwell on some of the phases of jogging here. It involves 6 phases to a good jogging exercise.

Phase I - Warm Up

Phase II - Initiation

Phase III - Acceleration

Phase IV - Cruising (Maintenance)

Phase V - Deceleration

Phase VI - Cool Down

Jogging not only involves the lower part of the body, but the upper part as well, hence when you warm up or cool down, you will need to remember to keep all those parts well oiled and ready before you engage in this form of vigorous exercise. There are many youtube videos out there in teaching one how to warm up or cool down and the bulk of these are quite good, so I'm not going to elaborate much on these topics coz I feel that you can get better visual experience by watching them doing it.

What I'll be concentrating on is the other phases which is based on my 3 years of jogging/running experience. The initiation phase to start of with is important to get your system in tune with the environment and often more than not, this is the slower than average jogging speed. Say if you are good at jogging between 6-7 km/Hr, your initiation phase should start at 3-4 km/Hr. Halving the speed is good in keeping your stamina ready for the acceleration and maintenance phase which consists the huge bulk of your jogging exercise.

Depending on individual likings, the initiation phase can last as brief as 2 minutes to as long as 10 minutes. I have tried on a various set of duration and by far the best would still be around 8-10 minutes to say the least. This gives you some time to not only get in tune with your body and the environment, but it helps to keep your joint lax and ready before you pick up your speed. In other words, the initiation phase is very much like slow jogging. As you pick up speed, one should then accelerate to the range of speed desired. Acceleration lasts less than a few seconds but is as equally important to be mentioned as this involves a lot of energy to start as well as to maintain.

The maintenance phase/cruising phase comprises the effort to keep up with your own self at a pace deemed capable by oneself. Of course, this depends on varying individuals. The duration can lasts for as short as 20 minutes to as long as 2 hours depending on how you would like it to be. A best recommended dose of good jog would be between 40 minutes to an hour so as not to exhaust your knee joints too much for the coming days. Doing this frequently will not only keep you up to shape in no time, but you will also notice an increase capacity in your concentration and focus. One need to note however that whenever one is in this phase, the speed needs to be maintained within a desired range and not to abruptly increase or decrease it as this would lead to unwanted joint injuries which brings me to the final phase of the jogging period; the deceleration phase.

As you complete your jog for the day, a good slowing down set of deceleration phase is recommended. Jogging at a pace of 10-12 km/Hr, taper down your speed minute by minute as you close down on your destination. Slow down to a walking pace before you cool down by doing the joint exercises. Make sure you gulp down a big bulk of water after each exercise to replace all those lost fluids. A good replacement would always be water and not any other isotonic drinks which would grant you back all those hard earned efforts to lose those calories. Grab your meal in half and hour's time to make full use of the after burner effect of your body as it attempts to recover from all those vigorous exercise.

Just remember to eat right and eat well. Only steamed or boiled foods with loads of green, red and yellow veggies and those good ol' recommended fruits. =)

Wrong ECG

2011-09-18T11:04:00.003+08:00

It was early and I had just done my rounds in the intensive care setting when a house officer from the O/G department rang me up to refer a case. I decided to put this case scenario up as it provides a lot of assistance and help and in particular one strong reason that all of us need to remember. Two in fact, and I shall elaborate.

There was a patient who was admitted for food poisoning and she is in her 2nd trimester of her first pregnancy. After bouts of relentless vomiting, she became relatively exhausted to which this was interpreted as breathlessness by the attending team. There was no doubt she appeared a bit lethargic and at times tired. The primary team decided that it was the patient's best interest to carry out an ECG and run some blood investigations. The ECG which was done was interpreted as sinus tachycardia with 1st degree heart block with possible anterior and inferior myocardial infarction. What the doctor missed out in the ECG strip is that this was a computer generated interpretation and that the machine was quick enough to advocate the information of a physician need to strongly interpret this ECG in his own experience and not to follow what the ECG machine has to say.

Firstly, the clinical condition of the patient was not that of chest pain, neither had she been diagnosed with any comorbidities prior to this or was she a sufferer of the infamous ischemic heart disease. She was relatively young, at her early 30s and is pretty fit and well prior to this. A diagnosis of MI which the young doctor was concern of was almost unlikely, albeit rare. But of course, I accepted the case with interest and went to see the patient ASAP.

What strike me as I picked up the ECG was obvious. The R wave in the aVR lead was a positive deflection (upgoing) which denotes that the ECG leads were wrongly placed. The anxious staff nurse was worried as she was informed over the phone that this could be a case of heart attack. But a repeat ECG with the correct lead placement showed a normal ECG thereafter. T wave inversions could be seen due to the hypokalemia secondary to the vomiting, and that correction with supplements would correct this over time.

The lesson from all of the above is that one should never trust the ECG interpretation as it is meant only as a guide (which can often times be flawed and not trustworthy). In fact I have never used the smart ECG interpretation as an interpretation of my own. I regard them as unimportant but the calculations of the intervals at times though, can be useful.

The second rule is that whenever one pick up an ECG, the first lead to look at as I have always learned and thereafter taught medical students, nursing staffs, medical assistants, house officers, and fellow colleagues, is the aVR lead. If it shows positive deflection, repeat an ECG, unless of course if you suspect dextrocardia or a grossly hypertrophic or dilated right heart chambers (cor pulmonale). Accept an ECG only if the aVR leads shows negative deflection (with the absence of the aforementioned problems).

A good lesson overall I thought.

Lye Huat Garden Pt 2

2011-09-18T10:51:00.003+08:00

Here are some of the most prolific decorations seen within the boundaries of the garden. Just to your left after the main entrance, you will be able to appreciate these rock like statues that represents the famous places in Malaysia. Of course, there were just too many of them that I decided to take only the ones that I know and publish even fewer. Interesting piece of work if you'd ask me. They even have a few of those rock replicas for some famous mountains in China too.

Rock replica of Penang Hill. Can you see the Komtar tower? It's a bit leaning though in the anterior front. But it does resembles the place well.

Langkawi Island, the main one of course. =)

Genting Highlands, and I could have sworn I noticed First World Hotel right up there =P

Cameron Highlands, nope... no strawberries or cherries sighted around there...

Mulu Caves, I haven't been there so I wouldn't know what or how to comment on this one...

Batu Caves in KL, a perfect replica...

Lye Huat Garden, Changlun

2011-09-17T17:50:00.004+08:00

It was a spontaneous decision I have to say, but having been stuck in all day inside the house isn't exactly the right thing that I'd thought I would be doing on a wonderful Friday morning. And besides, we have the whole day to ourselves just to chill and relax. The plans for the afternoon was ripe, and it was decided that we'd be watching some good movies. The result can be seen over the last two entries. But what to do amidst the wonderful morning just prior to the cinematic experience? No doubt, I would want to try something interesting.

It has been rather a long time since we planned to go on an outing such as this and the last time we did so was last year when it began to pour heavily. This time around, the weather was suited to our comfort. And naturally, we would make the best out of this significant opportunity. We decided to head on out to Changlun to the well-known Lye Huat garden aka mini zoo. Located off Jitra by at least 15 or so kilometers, this place offers a combination of antique collection as well as some tropical animals owned by a wealthy person, the name of course is as printed on the entrance of the park.

However, much to our dismay, the park was under some form of renovation and most of the animals aren't there for us to see. Nevertheless, there were still quite a few people, much of them who were photographer enthusiasts while some were just there to have some fun. The park consist of some interesting and delicate antiques to which I shall let the photos do the talking in the next entry. The only animals that we get to see is perhaps the giant crocodile and the koi fishes alongside the fresh water fishes. Other than that, much of the animals must have been moved while the renovation is ongoing.

Managed to however get some pictures though. Entrance fee is RM 5 per adult and RM 3 for kids. Well worth the shot if you are one heck of an antique fanatics or an animal lover, otherwise I'd doubt you would savor much from the tour. Oh yeah, and they do have some hands-on practical stuffs such as the musical bells seen here. There aren't any supervision to say the least, so you are pretty free to roam around and create whatever music you wish, but just so you know, this is only possible when there aren't many visitors around, coz the sounds created by the bells can be quite loud.

The Smurfs (Film)

2011-09-16T20:09:00.004+08:00

If you're a fan you would find this an enjoyable film to watch. Nothing would seem to matter, not even at the very least, the song per se (as was depicted in the film as rather annoying and that even Grumpy would strongly agree). I thought that the screenplay was rather well done with the intention to entertain rather than to please all the fans out there. Of course, it has the elements too to keep the kids on their seats with Clumsy doing the best he does falling down on almost anything and everything. The jokes were not too intensified or slapstick in their own nature but easily understood. Catch phrases may seem rather monotonous but at least there weren't repetitions. The song however is another stand-on-its-own matter.

I wouldn't belittle or put down this movie as many critics would. In fact, I'd give it a chance, and I thought they went to great lengths to make it comedic as it could be. After all, you have to credit the director for making Gargamel so very much alike in its human form and his companion cat Azrael a mischievous sidekick.

Movie Rating:- 6/10

Johnny English Reborn

2011-09-16T20:00:00.002+08:00

Quirky, smart and still a definite bunch of loony and eccentric bunch, Rowan Atkinson never fails to pack a bunch in humiliating the character that he plays but yet keeps up a distinct humble approach in ensuring that the dignity of it is equally portrayed. As for those who follows the ever distinguished and public figure of Mr Bean and Police Academy, you would and definitely be guaranteed a satisfied time as you relive through all those typical scenic portrayals of his past.

Though in fact, you'd need to be forewarned that such hilarious antics may not very well be appealing to all, yet in general I would still paint it a happy rating, not so because I am utterly biased towards our protagonist as I've literally grown up watching all his comedic acts, but for the sake of how his facial expression would turn you upside down and wipe those sorrows off your expressionless face. And in addition, you will notice how smooth and finesse his acting is. He is in fact, the typical paramount example of how a professional comedy actor should be, not a bunch of laughing stock or a retard trying to downcast themselves to earn some laughs, if you know what I mean. =)

Movie Rating:- 6.5/10

Grill and Shabu Shabu Restaurant

2011-09-12T21:32:00.004+08:00

No one would have thought that such an interesting place would come to Alor Setar, especially me. When it was first introduced to the Alor Setarians, the place was literally packed like sardines and it was indeed difficult to even park the car, needless to say to eat there. We had to forgo this place back then and hope that the congestion would dwindle down as time passes by. It would take us two months before we could even get in to give it a try.

All those wait finally got through and we did manage to go there today. This must have been one of those rare blog entries that I would be able to key in immediately after the experience. Thanks to the well desired break...

Let me break it down simple to you. It costs around RM 25 nett per head for the buffet dinner. You will have to pay first before you could indulge. Thereafter you are then ushered to your seat where you will gain access to the moving belt located along your table. Very much like how they serve you sushi. Each table would have their own grilling and steamboat station and whichever method you so wish to get your food done is totally up to you. Now that's what I call freedom. Prior to that, you'd get your choice of choosing which soup flavor that is of your interest. There are a few to start of with, and they are tomyam, chicken and lemongrass. I couldn't quite recall the last one, but it must have been the least of my interest, hence explaining the easily forgotten fact.

Once you get seated, the rest is pretty much clockwork. You pick the food you want from the belt and then you cook it with the griller or the steamboat. Aside from that, they have quite a selected few other gastronomical cuisines around the corners of the restaurant. Of note, there is the drinking station, the fruit station, the dessert station, the ice cream station and the sauce station. Two others stand out from these treaties, and they are the fried snack section as well as the main dish section (consisting of patphet chicken, white rice, fried beehoon and some salad). My main focus for this visit was more of the food from the moving belt and as well as the ice cream station. Perhaps, an improvement would be to the ice cream station as the temperature was set too low making the ice cream literally tough to scoop out.

But otherwise, I'd thought that the general idea was a good one. A buffet style such as this would be a rarity and such an opening would definitely give the locals something to look forward to.

Wedding of Eng Chun & Ying Fung

2011-09-12T11:35:00.005+08:00

And again I say congratulations on your wedding day! It was indeed one good opportunity to allow the bulk of us MBS'sians to meet up after so many years, eleven if I counted them right. Thanks for inviting us, as it indeed offered us a rare chance to catch up on the good old days as well as getting to know how successful all of us have been after leaving our high school back in year 2000. Well... some of you may have left after 2002 especially having gone forth to doing Form 6 but whatever it is, it was a blessing seeing so many of you there. I do hope that we can meet up again should we have the chance in the near future, and this time of course with the hope of seeing more of the rest whom we've not seen for years.

Present: Winson Chia, William Ng, Alvin Soo, Alex Tan Soon Eng, George Lim, James Lim, Cheen Lin, Thye Seang, Colin Koo, Lawrence Lee and myself

Not present: Leow Boon Kiat, Bok Chai, Bing Yi, Bryant Chin, Joseph Lam, Zenas Ooi, Kheng Hin, Kenny Neoh, Kevin Koo, Ban Teong, Kim Mu, Vong Chen Wern, Willy Tan and many others...

Venue: Berjaya Georgetown Hotel

Date: 11th September 2011

Time: 7 pm - 11 pm

Newlyweds: as above

MRCP (UK) Mock PACES

2011-09-12T11:16:00.003+08:00

I would have thought that it was too soon for me to participate in this, and besides, I wasn't in any way prepared for this sort of thing. But then again, when will we ever be if we just laze around and not do anything. It was about high time that I consider doing something for myself and by getting my nerves tested just once, I'd thought that it would be a good stimulus to keep me on track and ready for the real one next year. Of course that is with hope that I can get a place though. Turns out I could have done better had I actually put my mind into it since I started practicing. The other factor that determines of your passing is strongly attributed to luck, just as I get to experience it first hand. But of course that is with provision that you would have work hard and pray extremely hard before you sit for it. For seasoned and veterans in PACES examination, I am pretty darn sure of the significance in it, the trials and tribulations one have to go through it and as well as the difficult times one has to bear with it and then to stand up after that.

It is true of course that taking this exam does make you a better doctor because it would strongly turn you into a humble mouse. Likewise, it is a game of ice-skating. Those of whom who plays this sport would have known better. You start off well, and you need to maintain so throughout the performance, lest you fall over and trip on yourself, then it can be considered over and done with.

All the best for those sitting for this coming October 2011 diet!

Logos Hope 2011

2011-09-12T11:06:00.003+08:00

I recalled the days when I was just a junior brat that my parents took me to the Doulos ship and it wasn't just one time back then. If I could just recall well clearly, it had to be more than three times coz that was just how fanatic about me with those interesting kiddy books. But somehow my cortical function could only paint a picture of me touring the ship and licking on a cone of ice cream. Ahh... Those were simple times with very minimal expectations, worries and responsibilities. The ship was a whole lot fun to be in aside from the Star cruise of course. After all, it was my very first experience with regards to a floating book store. I can't however remember whether I did bought any books from there and even if I would have, I'd doubt I'd remember where it is by now.

Years on, Doulos is now being replaced by the much younger and bigger ship, the Logos Hope which also does the similar thing like it's mother ship. On board the cruise are a variety of volunteers from all over the world traveling across nations bringing hope, education and happiness. It would take them quite some time before they would dock back on to the first place they landed, which explains the eager opportunity that everyone would grab just to get a glimpse on how the ship looks like before it sets sails to another country.

This time around, I got myself a nice transparent block with the ship in it that costume about RM 32. A good deal if you'd consider but otherwise the book selections don't really appeal well to me. Perhaps it may be because I have something else on my mind right now. LoL! Oh well, for those of whom who still haven't paid the ship and it's crews a visit, I guess you still have about a week plus or so before it sails on. Entrance fee is RM 1 and kids below 12 goes in for free. You'll also need to register your name and IC number before you go in, perhaps a part of a memorabilia guess. =)

Nasi Lemak 2.0

2011-09-10T18:31:00.005+08:00

Based on the various amounts of video clips and music videos from the highly and exceptionally talented Namewee, there was without any doubt that my expectation out of this film would be a highly anticipated one. It did not fail me to say the least as it hits every single part of my funny bone there is from the beginning to the end of this remarkably well crafted masterpiece. You could verily feel the presence of Namewee in each scenes coupled with the famous local comedians and actors to make the film all the more enjoyable to watch. I could more or less judge on how funny the film is as I had to tolerate with all kinds of laughter throughout the movie, which is in itself a good thing. All the ingredients of the film were nonetheless present and this is no simple task coming mostly all alone from the determined Namewee. I have to commend this on him and he can be sure that I would fork out cash just to buy the original CD once it is released in the movie stores.

Anyone should give this movie a chance and watch it. Frankly speaking, I haven't laughed that much ever since a while back until this movie came along and reignited the passion in watching local productions. I am definitely proud to be able to witness this creation and if I may add and compare, this could more than well earn a place in the international film fiesta for portraying Malaysia as a multicultural society.

Thanks Namewee, and I do hope that more good films such as this would follow. All the very best!

Movie rating:- 9/10

Zero Referrals

2011-09-03T08:55:00.004+08:00

And I thought the festivities could have pounced on the doctors like mad. But fortunately it needn't be so. Then again, I was on one of the less active calls but even with that lack of need for running around the hospital to see cases, I still had to be equipped fully with loads of work in doing rounds, coming up with continuation plans and followed up with complicated cases. There was a great deal of procedures that day which is a good thing as I've long had my tries in poking lines. And furthermore, the echocardiography machine seems to hate me as it keeps shutting down each time I tried to use it. Oh bother... but at least this was a once in a lifetime record for calls that I've ever gotten.

Now... how I wish that everyday could be just like this... It would definitely make us all a bunch of happier doctors. LoL!

Zookeeper

2011-09-03T08:54:00.000+08:00

Perhaps, one of the worst movie I've ever watched. The time spent could have been used for better things. Definitely a full regret. The plot is extremely superficial, predictable, and stereotypical. The humor was bland and unoriginal and to rub it in, the characters were purely lackadaisical. There is just nothing fresh about it, and I couldn't feel the momentum in it.

Movie Rating:- 2/10

Hai Thien Revisited

2011-08-31T00:41:00.003+08:00

Primary entry

Decided to bring my girlfriend's sister to this place as promised as it was indeed one of those remarkably cheap yet excellent must try restaurant if you are in Alor Setar or Perlis. And without a doubt, it did not fail, thanks to our ex-fellow housemate who took us there several months back. This time around, we ordered almost the similar things with the exception of the fried ice cream. =)

Home Made English Breakfast

2011-08-31T00:36:00.002+08:00

Had my take on making this English breakfast after one of those hectic on calls. Thank goodness the following day was a weekend though. My concentration was just fairly adequate for me to fry some eggs and I had to do it twice. Wasted 4 extra eggs coz of some unanticipated expectations and then that was how I learn it the hard way. Had to fry another 4 more eggs de novo but thankfully the new batch turned out fine although it looked as though they were more of a shredded kind rather than a perfect sunny side-up. But hey, I did manage to fry them after all lol, after so many years of not doing it.

Dalam Botol

2011-08-30T23:41:00.002+08:00

For the most of you who have already seen it, then you could in fact join me in congratulating our local film production's effort in coming out with a movie that has a remarkable theme which is not in tune with the previous local films. This courageous film has certainly strike a chord in the hearts of many and distorts the typical perception that we as humans come to terms with. Without a doubt, I would certainly hope that the creators of this film would further improve themselves in terms of their skills in cinematography and audiovisual effects in lieu with the actors' perception in the movie.

Aside from that, the protagonist of the film has got it in him and it is of certain that he has more or less absorbed the role prescribed and executed it to near-perfection. The screenplay puts in a mounting experience of conflicts and dealt with them well but perhaps the chemistry between the actors could have been further improved.

Movie Rating:- 6.5/10

New Jogging Trek Experience 4

2011-08-30T23:28:00.003+08:00

Taman Merdeka

For Alor Setar-ians, one would be quite eager to note that there is a small park, two to say the least located just around the confines of the stadium. Dubbed as Taman Merdeka or Merdeka Park, this small but well-maintained site is a sight to admire especially when you decide to go for an evening jog. The area highlighted with an orange rectangular mark is where I'd prefer (of the two) to jog as it's bigger and offers more challenges in terms of inclines. The jogging path is well-paved and the area marks out to be around 200-250 meters per one full round and so you'd have to do many rounds before you could actually consider burning some real good fat. I would thus start from the place that I am staying in and build up a good momentum of at least 700-800 meters jog/run to reach that area before I decide to pound on the park. It's relatively easy to navigate around with minor obstacles and joggers would find it all too fun to adapt in. It's for one of those who are eager to seek out a comfort evening walk/jog in the park. But for those who are looking for more challenges in terms of jogging around for a longer distance, you could always refer to the first three jogging routes that I 'painstakingly' drew out.

Distant route/marathon training

1/ New Jogging Trek Experience

2/ New Jogging Trek Experience 2

3/ New Jogging Trek Experience 3

Short distance jogging in Alor Setar series

1/ Banana Village

2/ Old Town Springs Leaf

3/ HSBAS

Have fun!

New Jogging Trek Experience 3

2011-08-30T23:17:00.005+08:00

I always love the experience of a new jogging trek, and this recently encountered one is nonetheless exciting to try out. I have up till now used this trek for up to about 4 times and I find that it's less than the actual amount of my usual routine in terms of trek length and the challenges it provides. Traffic can be quite heavy along the routes of Jalan Telok Wanjah especially during the peak hours. Vehicles inclusive of heavy ones and motorcycles would ply this route so you'd best be careful as you jog around this area. To add on the traffic congestion, a construction site is sited just along the route as well. Thankfully, the route is of a short distance and you could easily breeze through to Jalan Stadium, which to me is a better route to jog on.

Route used as drawn up in the map in order of starting location to final destination:-

1/ Lebuhraya Darul Aman
2/ Jalan Telok Wanjah
3/ Jalan Stadium
4/ Lebuhraya Darul Aman
5/ Taman Tunku Habsah

Encounters:-

Heavy traffic
Fumes and smokes
Some heavy vehicles
Construction site
2 roundabouts
Smooth road with slight degree of incline
No other joggers in sight

Amount of calories consumed prior to run - None since lunchtime

Amount of calories burned - 400 kcal (in average)

Average METS expenditure - 9.5 METS

Highest METS expenditure - 11 METS

Lowest METS expenditure - 8.0 METS

Distance covered - 4 km

Length of time needed - 30 minutes

Speed on average - 8.0 km/H

Total amount of songs used up - 8 (3-4 minute songs)

Festivities Wishes

2011-08-27T12:12:00.002+08:00

Here is to wishing all my Malay friends a very blessed Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin and for all of us a very blessed Merdeka day!

Drive safe in this long and well-deserved break and please do remember not to speed, but instead take your time and tune in on to the various radio stations along the frequency to take off those stresses from the hectic traffic jam that is pretty much anticipated. =)

Cowboys vs Aliens

2011-08-20T20:15:00.003+08:00

It doesn't take long for one to imagine how ridiculous a title such as that would come about, but then again it was in the books and so being literal, we'd hope that the film would at least be a good one, especially with Class A actors lined up. Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig are two distinctive actors of a different spectrum and to put them together would be a tense situation as expected. The former comes from a long line of honorable action movies whereas the latter has just freshly graduated out of the new Bond series with a suave look and intense spirit.

With that, the odds are you'd get loads of awkward moments. The chemistry between the protagonists for example weren't truly convincing (needless to say), and Craig's love interest, Olivia Wilde (or so it may seem to be) utterly failed in providing a swift transition of the movie. There were countless out of place scenes where the actress just doesn't seem to fit in although the whole movie did provide some bonuses towards the end during the fighting scenes. Otherwise... nothing much could have been expected.

These were great actors, don't get me wrong. It's just that the story didn't quite like agree with them.

Movie Rating:- 5.5/10

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011-08-20T20:10:00.002+08:00

Nothing would really beat this one. It has all the elements that one could have anticipated it. It promised so much in its teaser-trailers that it literally impacted anyone that have seen it. The film is cleverly depicted with a coordinated balance. The script were crisp, the cinematic images were breathtaking and the anticipation a definite towards a heart attack episode. It crunches on all sides and it did not fail in all its viewing experience to satisfy the viewers and I for once left the cinema with a strong sense that it was such a remarkable success that a sequel might have been in the pockets. If you'd haven't decided to watch it yet, well... you should!

Movie Rating: - 8/10

Tips on Losing Weight - Exercise

2011-08-11T16:53:00.002+08:00

Perhaps one of the best ways to add on the caloric burns towards achieving your goals is to get involved in a few good form of sports. Select the ones that favors you, your build and your interests. Of course, the latter is of primary concern as this would spur you onwards to build on a strong foundation to progress to other form of cardio exercises. But having the need to select certain sporting stuffs based on your build is of relative importance as well, not to mention, significant. The ideal sport needs to be related to your physique for example, choosing cycling first rather than going all out to jog or run if you are more than overweight. You don't want to destroy your joints and limit your physical activity prematurely. That would be disappointing.

I recalled that when I first started out, I was asked to select between either cycling, brisk walking or jogging to which I went out for the latter initially out of inexperience. Without a doubt, I had to give it up after several weeks due to the cumulative pain in the joints despite the fact that I did my warm ups and cool downs. I had to resort to doing brisk walking and cycling (reclining and standing) for a mere 3-4 months before carving myself some weight loss which then allows me to proceed back to jogging. I then sped through without much problems and noticed the significant difference between the then and the now effects of jogging with the difference in weight.

Depending on the activities you choose, always remember to go low and go slow. Do not harp on the fact that many is good or more is even better. There is a fast painful effect which will give you a disapproving outcome should you decide to haste into physical fitness. Take it one step at a time, build up your discipline and make it a habit out of the joy that you get from exercising and as you get stronger and leaner by the weeks and months to come, then you will reap better benefit with regards to your physique. The term that comes to mind is graduated exercising. Progress from perhaps jogging 4-5 km/H for a few weeks thereafter to 5-6 km/H for another few more months to allow your body to get used to the trend and carve out a good endurance effort before you proceed higher up.

It is often said that the duration of exercise cuts out the intensity of exercise in terms of caloric burn and reaping health benefits. While this may be true to a certain extent, I'd believe in the better of both. Do what you can at a duration of your ease and comfort, but keep a minimum of 20-30 minutes of exercise per day each day to slowly build you up. As you can withstand that amount of intense exercise over a specific duration of time, you can either choose to increase the intensity or prolong your duration of exercise, by which the latter would be a good thing to do. Somehow, based on experience, by prolonging your duration of exercise, it seems to me that this will give me better endurance rather than intensifying my efforts. I have tried both, each for about a year or so and it gets me doing more of the latter rather than the former, although there are times when I am in a hurry and I have to intensify in a shorter duration of time.

Whatever you do, always remember to select two or three sports that is akin with your likes as this would spur you onwards and keep you anticipated for the game that is to come. Select the sport that is in many ways suitable towards your physique and then slowly change to something you may seem to like more as you start to lose weight (the latter of course may require a smaller build in order to prevent osteoarthritis prematurely). Get a partner or friend to do these things with you and make sure that they are in to this same interest as you are too. In that manner, each of you can encourage one another when either seems to be lagging behind. Put up a chart, it may be in the form of weight reduction or duration of exercise or intensity of exercise progression chart. All of this would grant you that notion that you are doing something and improving over time objectively.

Recommended exercise duration: 20-30 minutes per day

Recommended sessions per week: Daily, if you can't make it, at least 5 sessions will do

Keep towards your goal! All the best!

Ipad2

2011-08-05T18:08:00.001+08:00

This changes everything... again!